Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Exodus

Exodus 16 Part 2 02/29/04

Message Title: ‘Soul Food’ pt. 2                                                                                                      Text: Exodus 16:1-36

Introduction: A mother had a particularly trying day with her young son. Finally she flung up her hands and shouted, "All right, Billy. Do anything you darn well please! Now let me see you disobey THAT!"
 
--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 193.
 

Ever felt that way?

Question: Why is obedience so hard?

Usually it is not because the request is too hard or we don’t understand it. Usually, obedience is hard because we don’t think it’s necessary or we just I don’t like it.
However, you would think that when God, creator and sustainer of the universe, giver and taker of life,  tells us to do something we would do it. Yet…we don’t obey, we do what we want, when we want for the reasons we want. You see, when it comes right down to it, it’s about me…..But you know what? God is about me too. That’s why he gives us rules to follow, because he loves and cares for us.

Remember Rom 8:31 ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ God IS for US. Who can be against us? US!

Review: Last week we saw that even though the Israelites grumbled and complained against Moses, Aaron and God concerning their lack of food, God didn’t punish them for their lack of faith. In his compassion and by his grace, God fed them. But I said that God used his love and grace as a means to educate his people about what it meant to be a child of God. He did this by giving them specific guidelines concerning the manna he provided.

Transition: This morning, we will see if these ancient Israelites were obedient and how God reacted to their actions. Turn to Ex. 16

 
The people’s response to God’s provision
 

Question: Was that the response of the people of God to the rules God set up for the food he provided?

Everyone clearly heard God’s rules concerning the food. Everyone clearly understood what they meant. Still, some felt they were exempt from the rules, that the rules didn’t apply to them. Sound familiar?

Question: What happened when the Israelites were disobedient to God’s command and kept the manna overnight?

The manna became full of maggots and smelled bad. It was unusable. What was God trying to teach his people?..and us? Let me be brief and to the point.

Christian, when you live a life of disobedience, in the big and small things of God, you will be useless to him…and figuratively speaking, you’ll smell badly. Just as the manna taken in disobedience was useless and smelled bad to the Israelites.

I have been accused of wearing too much cologne and rightly so. I have this thing about not wanting to smell bad, so I sometimes over compensate. I wish I would do that in my life of obedience to the Lord. I want to smell good for him.

Read: 2 Co 2:14 ‘But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.’

Obedience makes us smell good!

Question: What happened when the Israelites tried to gather manna on the Sabbath?

They didn’t find any. God was trying to teach his people and us, that when we choose to work outside of the will of God, go where he is not guiding or do what he is not asking, don’t expect him to bless our endeavors.

God was also teaching his people and us, that just as we need to cooperate with him in his work, we  also need to cooperate with him in his rest. Sabbath rest. I will speak more on that when we get to Ex. 20.

Transition: Well, many of these ancient Israelites were disobedient. How did God respond? Does he finally give them the punishment they deserved?

 
God’s response to his people’s actions
 

Did you know that Missouri state phrase or motto is the ‘Show me state’? A popular saying is ‘Seeing is believing’.  Why so much emphasis on seeing to believe? Because

1. We lack faith    2. We forget.

God knows this. So instead of punishing his people for their disobedience, he does something to continually remind them of his grace. He tells Moses to put some of the manna in a jar and keep it. It won’t go bad. It’s purpose was to teach the people that God is loving, God is faithful, God is gracious, even to his disobedient children.

Is this the God you know? I pray it is.

Conclusion:   Ex. 16:1-36 and Jn. 6:25-69

There is one final lesson to be learned and it was meant for us today and not for the ancient Israelites. It was meant for us who live after the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus.  What’s the lesson? Just as God provided manna to save the ancient Israelites from dying of starvation in the Wilderness of Sin, so he has provided Jesus the Christ, to save those today who are dying in a life of sinfulness.

There isn’t time to read the whole text, but turn to Jn. 6, where Jesus makes a remarkable connection between what happened here in Ex 16 and what was happening right in front of the people he was talking to.

Read: Jn 6:25-27
Food that spoils…manna
Food that endures to eternal life…the Son of Man, Jesus.

What do we need to do to get it?

Read: Jn 6:28-29
Believe. It is that simple. Well meaning religious people try to make going to heaven so difficult.
But, for the ancient Israelite wandering in the dessert, as it is for the modern person wandering in sin, it comes down to belief.

•    Belief that what God says in the Bible is enough.
•    Belief that what God has provided in Jesus Christ is enough.

Read: Jn. 6:30-31
Seeing is believing, they said. Moses gave the people manna, what will you give us?

Read: Jn 6:32-33
Jesus told them the truth. It wasn’t Moses but God who provided the manna to save them from starving to death. And it is that same God who provided true bread, the kind that gives eternal life.

The people asked for this bread, not fully understanding what Jesus was saying.

Read: Jn 6:35,40

Wow! Can you imagine what they were thinking? Who does he think he is?
Jesus is God. Jesus is the bread that God offers to all who are dying of sin.

And just as God had a requirement that the ancient Israelites had to individually gather the manna in order to be saved from starving to death, so he has the same requirement for those who are dying of sin…you, individually, must come to Jesus, believe he died for your sin and take him as your personal savior. Not just the savior of the world, but your savior.

Read: Jn 6:53-54

Many of the Israelites Jesus spoke to that day didn’t get it. The same is true today. Jesus is not talking about cannibalism here, nor is he talking about communion or the Lord’s Supper.

Jesus is saying that I must become what sustains you in life if you are to have eternal life. All of me, not just the parts you are comfortable with. Jesus is making this personal. Many of the people Jesus spoke to that day left him. Why? Because as long as Jesus kept religion impersonal.  As long as Jesus allowed for more of me and less of Thee, they wanted it. But God demands our all.  And if you have seen the movie the Passion of the Christ, you know why. Jesus died for you. Jesus died a horrible death so that you can have a glorious life in heaven.

Read: Jn. 6:67
Now that they have heard the truth, Jesus asked those who claimed to be his friends, do you want to leave me too? And Jesus is asking this of all you here this morning who claim friendship with Jesus Christ.

Jesus is asking you, now that you have heard the truth, what are you doing to do?

Read: Jn 6:68-69

Do you believe Jesus has the words of eternal life?
Do you believe that Jesus is God?
Do you believe that he died for YOUR sins?
Do you believe?