The Purposes
and Places of God’s Tests
Exodus 15:22-27
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
8 August, 2010 AM
I.
Introduction
(Jeremiah 17:10)
A.
The hardest thing we will ever
face is NOT the devil. It is not the world. It will be GOD!
B.
For some of you, that is a very
hard fact to accept.
C.
But the issue is that GOD is a
trier of our hearts – a prover of our thoughts. And an exposer of the real
us! And we don’t like it! We prefer to ACT out our Christianity!
D.
And we usually fail the tests
that the Lord has for us!
E.
But that is okay, because, it is
IN the failures that we find just how much we need God, and we discover just
how much we live in our own strength, and not in the power of the Holy
Spirit!
II.
Background
(Psalm 81:7)
A.
Exodus Chapter 15 is just after a
great victory
1.
The deliverance from
2.
They have just miraculously
crossed the
3.
They have just watched as the
entire Egyptian army drowned and would never haunt them again
4.
I’d say that that was a pretty
good day, wouldn’t you?
B.
Everybody is singing and praising
God – Moses, then Miriam, then the whole nation!
C.
Now comes a test, a proving, a
stretching, a testing of their resolve and their faith (Ex 15:22-24)
1.
Even though they were headed for
the Promised Land,
2.
The question to answer: If God is
the God of the mountain (of the victories, of the easy days), will He be the
God of the valleys as well? Will we LET Him be?
3.
They did not believe that God
could provide for them in the bad times (the wilderness)
a.
He had just rescued them from the
strongest nation on earth.
b.
But it wasn’t good enough for
them!
4.
Can God handle any valley, any
trouble, any disaster that we face?
a.
Daniel faced a test at the Lion’s
den – God allowed him to be thrown in there
b.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
faced a test at the fiery furnace
c.
Abraham faced a test in the
famine of
d.
So many others walked through
such dark and long valleys
D.
To prove something is to test it
to see if it works (1Sam 17:39)
E.
God leads us into troubles and
testings (Dt 8:2) to do the following things
1.
Humble you – you already don’t
like this message do you?
2.
Prove you – to the devil, and to
yourself!
3.
And to know you – God sees your
heart, but He likes to expose it, because He, above all people hates
hypocrites!
4.
God seeks to expose our true
desires (Ex 20:20; Heb 4:12) – we are such fakers and superficial people!!!
And God wants to change us!
III.
Message
It was in that
place called Marah…
A.
They Went
Forward (Ex 15:22)
1.
They couldn’t settle down at the
edge of the
a.
That was certainly a great
success story in their lives – a great victory
b.
But, to settle here would mean
that God only wanted them OUT of Egypt, but not IN the Will of God!
c.
They were just a few weeks from
the Promised Land!
d.
THAT was the perfect will of God
for them.
e.
The will of God for them was
greater than just their salvation from bondage in
2.
You are going to have to get used
to going forward
a.
Christians have a great goal to
reach for (Philp 3:13) – the will of God
b.
You Can’t live in past victories
3.
To go forward, you will have to
FOLLOW God’s leadership as He compels you and presses you, and pulls you
even when you don’t want to go forward (2Tim 4:2-5). Remember to NOT follow
your heart!
a.
They were pulled forward by the
cloud by day, and the fire by night – no matter when it moved, they had to
move too!
b.
The Holy Spirit led Jesus into a
time of testing – as our example! He DROVE Him into the desert
c.
The Lord Jesus will move you when
you do not feel like moving, and press you when you don’t want to respond!
He will especially humble you when you don’t WANT to be!
4.
The people of God MUST always go
and do as the Holy Spirit leads, not as the heart feels!
B.
They
Encountered Obstacles (Ex 15:22,23) – impossible obstacles
1.
What else would you expect?
a.
b.
At the
c.
And NOW, when the people had no
water, it was hard to trust the Lord to supply
2.
It has never been easy to trust
in the Lord with all your heart (Prov 3:5,6)
3.
There are always going to be
obstacles, and resistance to you moving forward by obedient faith
4.
Just because you are a child of
God does NOT mean life got any easier for you!
a.
As a matter of fact it usually
means it get harder
b.
There is the false gospel of the
“Prosperity Promise”
c.
Paul (rough life), Jesus
(crucified), Peter (crucified upside down,
5.
By-the-way, this was a new form
of trial to them.
a.
They never lacked for water in
b.
They had just seen the Lord
divide the Red Sea and drown their enemies—and now He has brought them out
of
c.
They believed that they were
going to have one long triumphant march right into the Promised Land, and be
indulged in every way, like spoiled children.
d.
They must have stood aghast at
seeing such vast amounts of water and finding absolutely NONE that they
could drink!
6.
This kind of surprise happens to
many who have set out on the way to Heaven.
a.
God has been very gracious to
them—their sins are washed away and they think that the great joy which they
have lately experienced will never be taken away from them and will never be
even diminished.
b.
They look forward to a long day
without a cloud. That they cannot imagine that they shall have any trial or
any bitterness.
c.
But it is not so! A new Christian
is seldom long at ease!
d.
No sooner does he start out on
journey toward Heaven than he meets with difficulty and, as he goes on, he
finds out that the way to Heaven is not a level pathway—it is through the
mire and through the slime, over mountain and through the sea!
e.
But, it is by trials and
afflictions that the people of God are proved to be God’s children!
C.
They came to
the End of Themselves (Ex 15:24)
1.
We say,
at the end of our rope – ever
been there? Most of you LIVE there it seems!
a.
They are without water – can only
go up to 4 days without water
b.
They have walked for days in a
DESERT
c.
When they do find water, the
water is undrinkable – it is bitter, poisoned, contaminated
d.
How do they head off and try and
find more water? It was a hopeless situation
2.
They start with frustration at
the situation…
a.
Builds to murmuring
b.
Then on to out right complaining
c.
Then to anger
1)
Against Moses
2)
But more so against God!!!
3)
Your anger against someone is
USUALLY an expression of your disappointment with God
d.
They end up angry and bitter like
the waters!
e.
This was a picture of where they
were spiritually – unable to trust God, quick to get bitter at their
situation!
3.
All of the previous three things
were GOOD things in their lives
a.
The Pressing forward – never
backsliding
b.
Encountering and dealing with
obstacles – strengthens us
c.
Coming to the end of themselves –
learning just how little strength they had, and how carnal they were!!!
4.
But while Moses saw the Lord,
they only saw disaster!
5.
You and I had better get our eyes
fixed on Jesus – the Master of the raging seas, the raiser of the dead, and
the Almighty God!
D.
The Lord Shows
the Answer (Ex 15:25) – this is awesome!
1.
A tree – a single, solitary tree!
What can a tree do?
a.
God could have used a stone, or a
banana! God didn’t have to use anything
to remedy the situation! But a TREE was best!
b.
God uses simple things
1)
Sometimes a mustard seed
2)
Five loaves and two fishes
3)
Sometimes just a touch
4)
Here, it was a tree
2.
God tries to open their eyes to
His supply
a.
The tree was already there at the
place of testing
1)
God didn’t have to drop in a
special miracle – it was already provided!
2)
In your life, in your trial that
you are going through, God is already there, and has already supplied the
answer to your need
b.
You just need to let the Lord
open your eyes to THAT supply
1)
Most people don’t realise that
Jesus has already been provided!
2)
They don’t realise that their
marriage partner IS the supply to their need
3)
That this church is what they
need!
3.
God commands Moses to cut down
that tree and cast it into the bitter waters
a.
Not only does it neutralise the
bitterness – that would be great. They could drink the water then. That
would have been just fine!
b.
But God went further with that
tree! So much further
c.
Notice… that tree made the bitter
waters SWEET!
4.
That TREE is just like the cross
(Acts 5:30; 10:39; 1Peter 2:24) It even takes away the bitterness and sting
of death (1Cor 15:55-57) and makes the final journey SWEET!
E.
God Teaches
Them and US a Great Lesson (Ex 15:25,26)
1.
THERE, He proved them! Exposed
them! Humbled them!
a.
It was in the TRIAL, in the
TROUBLE, in the STRUGGLE, when it was dark and impossible!
b.
He proved to them that they were
weak, thin skinned, rebellious, proud, unspiritual, carnal
c.
He also proved to them that He
was all sufficient, and that He will always be all sufficient – there will
never be a day when they would not need Him and His care!
d.
God cannot expose us and all our
flaws without pressure and heat
e.
THIS is where bitterness is born!
When GOD is trying to show you just who you really are
2.
THERE, He made a memory – a
memorial
a.
It is just as important to
remember your failures as your victories
b.
Not to get you depressed, but to
keep you humble and absolutely dependent on prayer, and on obeying God, no
matter how you FEEL
3.
THERE, He required Commitment and
Trust
a.
No more rebellion – which was
going to be hard for them to live up to
b.
The challenge was to confidently
trust in God NO MATTER the circumstances
4.
It was THERE that they learned
that the Tree/Cross will make all the difference you need
a.
Not a change in your enemy, or
your spouse, or your boss
b.
Not a change in your
circumstances, or your valley
c.
The cross will make your trial,
SWEET!
(Romans 5:1-5)
d.
BUT! If you stay bitter through a
trial,
1)
Then there is no simply cross in
your life – only fun, pleasure, easy living
2)
And you will have to face the
trial again, and again, and again
F.
Just Beyond
the Trial was some Rest (Ex 15:27)
1.
Don’t stay in your failure, or
live in your past!
2.
God lays out steps for us (like
the nation of
3.
So, stay the course, stay
trusting in the Lord, and stay near the Cross!!!
IV.
Conclusion
A.
GOD must try our hearts – prove
our thoughts. And expose the real us!
B.
None of us like it! We are just
like
1.
2.
They did not believe that God
could provide for them in the bad times (the wilderness)
a.
He had just rescued them from the
strongest nation on earth.
b.
But it wasn’t good enough for
them!
3.
Can God handle any valley, any
trouble, any disaster that we face?
C.
God leads us into troubles and
testings (Dt 8:2) to do the following things
1.
Humble you
2.
Prove you – to the devil
3.
And to know you
4.
God seeks to expose our true
desires – we are such fakers and superficial people!!!
5.
Let Him lead you, no matter
where!
D.
It was in that
place called Marah
1.
They Went
Forward -
The people of God MUST always go
as the Holy Spirit leads, not as the heart feels!
2.
They
Encountered Obstacles (Ex 15:22,23)
3.
They came to
the End of Themselves (Ex 15:24)
4.
The Lord
Showed the Answer (Ex 15:25)
a.
A single, solitary tree
b.
That TREE is just like the cross
(Acts 5:30; 10:39; 1Peter 2:24)
5.
God Teaches
Them and US a Great Lesson (Ex 15:25,26)
a.
THERE, He proved them! Exposed
them! Humbled them!
b.
THERE, He made a memory – a
memorial
c.
THERE, He required Commitment and
Trust
d.
It was THERE that they learned
that the Tree/Cross will make all the difference you need
E.
Marah is
better than Elim
1.
Elim had loads of water, and
plenty of fruit trees… but were no miracles at Elim
2.
Elim had shade from the sun… but
there were no memories at Elim
3.
At Elim… there was no need for
God
4.
But at Marah, and at the place of
trouble in your life, all three were there!
5.
We all surely need times of rest,
and supply
6.
But we all need our Marah’s where
GOD shows up and turns the bitterness to sweetness
7.
I believe many of you are at a
Marah in your life, and you have overlooked the tree that God has provided
as being too little, too simple, too powerless – when it is really the power
of God for your life
8.
Has God brought you to a place of
troubles, and even bitterness? Then let Him bless you there as He shows you
just how much you need Him
a.
First by getting saved
b.
Secondly, by getting totally
dependent upon Him
F.
A Challenge
1.
Stop running back to what you are
used to (your
2.
Let God humble you
3.
Let Him prove to you just how
frail you are, and how much you need Him
4.
Let Him supply all your needs
through the cross of Jesus Christ – the crucified life
5.
There is a rest, just wait for it