Welcome To Search The Scriptures

1. Welcome • To • Search The Scriptures

2. What We Will Study Today • Exodus 16 - 19 • The Desert Experience • Trusting God For Our Needs • Lesson In Delegation • Learning How To Approach God • What’s In This For Us?

3. Celebrating Deliverance • Exodus 15:1-4, ““I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; • the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. • 2 The Lord is my strength and my song, • and he has become my salvation; • this is my God, and I will praise him, • my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

4. 3 The Lord is a man of war; • the Lord is his name. • 4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, • and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.”

5. Dependence In The Desert • Travel into the barren desert • Would their joy, praise, and trust continue? • As soon as the song was over, Moses led them into the dry desert • Parallel to the Christian’s walk • Conversion = the RedSea experience • From slavery to sin, to freedom in Christ • Primary Lesson: Trust Him

6. But . . . Becoming a Christian doesn’t remove all of life’s difficulties • Instead, He sends us on a long journey through a world that presents us with all kinds of opportunities to . . . • Trust Him or sin • We fluctuate between enjoying what He has provided, and complaining that He isn’t giving us what we want (need?)

7. Where’s The Water? • Exodus 16: 22b-23, “Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. • 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.

8. v.24, “And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” • How long has it been since the Red Sea? • 3 days! • They forgot . . . And so do we. • Moses prayed for the water to change, and it did • God had tested them, and they are not trusting Him . . . already

9. Our “Desert Experiences” show us what we are madeof, what’s in our hearts. • They show us whether our spiritual tastes tend toward the earthly or heavenly • In the desert, our dependencyand God’s total sufficiency come together. • In the desert, we are expected to growspiritually .

10. Manna From Heaven • It has been one month since the Red Sea • Food supplies were getting low . . . • Exodus 16:3, “and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

11. Wishing for the good old days! Forgot that they were slaves in Egypt • God graciously provided them with daily bread from heaven (vv. 4-7) • Moses and Aaron grew tired of their grumbling • But God continued to respond graciously and patiently (vv. 8-12)

12. “So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. • For what are we, that you grumble against us?” (vv. 6-7) • God provided manna and quail

13. Military Victory • The Amalekites who lived in this area saw this huge group of people as a threat. They attacked. • God gave them victory over the Amalekites • God used Moses to provide the victory (Exodus 17:8-16) • Water, bread, meat, and victory over their enemies. • Would they ever doubt again?

14. Why Leaders Crack UP! • 2 million people • Problems that needed to be solved • Contract disputes • Arguments over property • Marriage/family difficulties • Disagreements over . . . You name it!

15. Do you remember Jethro? • Moses’ father-in-law • His wife Zipporah and his two sons • Exodus 18:2-6 • It is a great family reunion • Jethro had heard about all the great things God had done for Moses and his people

16. Exodus 18:8, “Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. • They had a chance to get caught up in each others’ lives • But then Jethro had a chance to observe Moses and his daily activities

17. Exodus 18:13-14, “The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, • “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?”

18. Jethro is asking about Moses’ priorities: • “Why have you supplanted your primary role as their leader, with a lesser role of being their judge?” • “Why are you shouldering the burden of judging the people all by yourself?”

19. Exodus 18:15-16, “And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” • Moses didn’t see that anything was wrong. • Jethro did, and he had some advice

20. V.18, “You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.” • Represent the people before God and teach them His Word. (reorganize priorities) • Do what you do best • Train those under you who have abilities

21. 2. Delegate authority by choosing qualified men to help you lead the people • And let them do their jobs • (vv. 19-23) • Moses accepted his advice!

22. Gathering at Sinai • Exodus 19:1-2, “On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. • 2 They set out from Rephidimand came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain,

23. ThreeMonths Have Passed Since The Red Sea • They will be here for the next eleven months • Exod. 19:3-4, “while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: • 4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”

24. His Goal? • To bring them toHimself • vv. 5-6a “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

25. The entire nation was to act as mediators of God’s grace to the nations of the earth • Moses came down from the mountain and delivered this message to the elders • vv. 7-8a “all the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” • With this commitment, Moses climbed the mountain again, reported the peoples’ response

26. God responded: • “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” (v. 9a) • God wanted the Israelites to listen to His laws and trust His chosen leader, Moses • Moses was the one to stand in the gap between the holiness of God and the sinfulness of the people

27. Preparing for God’s Presence • God told Moses: • vv. 10-11, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; and let them be ready for the third day, • for on the third day, the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

28. They needed outer and inner cleanliness • With their hearts and minds aligned to God, only one more preparation was needed: • vv. 12-13, “And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death.

29. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” • God was teaching them respect, so deepand profound that they would not even touch the place that marked His presence • When God is present, that place is holy

31. God’s holiness would consume the people because of their sins. That is why these strict boundaries are set • Encountering the Almighty • v.16, “On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightningsand a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.

32. Even Moses was “full of fear and trembling” at the storm caused by God’s approach (Heb. 12:21) • Exod. 19:20-25, “The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. • And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish.

34. What are we to make of Moses’ trips up and down the mountain? • They reinforce Moses’ as well as Aaron’s role as mediator between the people and God. Moses and Aaron prefigure Christ, our ultimate moderator • They reinforce the sinfulness of man and God’s perfect holiness

35. God was establishing a healthyfear of Him. Fear is a deterrent to sin • Perhaps we should examine how we view and approach God. • Do we have too shallow of a concept of Him? • Does this affect our walk with Him? • He is the Creator who created the universe

36. He is the sustainer, who gives and takes life according to His infinite wisdom • He is the reconciler, who lowered Himself to be born in a stable, for our sake. We did not deserve the redeeming • He deserves our utmost reverence and obedience. • When we understand this in our minds and hearts, we are ready to meet God

37. “Also let the priests who come near to the Lordconsecrate themselves, lest the Lordbreak out against them.” • And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”

38. And the Lord said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them.” • 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them. • What can we learn from this?

39. To meet regularly with God, we need a place • (accessible, private, quiet, and conducive to study and prayer) • 2. To approach God, we need time (think about who God is, read a Psalm that praises Him, His glory, majesty, mercy, and grace. Take time to readjust our attitude)

40. To hear from God, we need His word (the only written revelation we have from God is the Bible. He speaks, encourages, exhorts through His Word. An organized approach to studying the Bible is beneficial. • To remember what God says, we need a journal (a record of our spiritual walk)

41. How To Backslide In 9 Easy Steps • (First a summary, then John Bunyan’s words) • 1. Stop meditating on the gospel. “They draw off their thoughts, all that they may, from the remembrance of God, death, and judgment to come.”

42. 2. Neglect your devotions and stop battling sin. “Then they cast off by degrees private duties, as closet prayer, curbing their lusts, watching, sorrow for sin, and the like.” • 3. Isolate yourself from Christian fellowship. “Then they shun the company of lively and warm Christians.”

43. 4. Stop going to church. “After that, they grow cold to public duty, as hearing, reading, godly conference, and the like.” • 5. Determine that Christians are hypocrites because they continue to sin. “They then begin to pick holes, as we say, in the coats of some of the godly, and that devilishly, that they may have a seeming color to throw religion (for the sake of some infirmities they have espied in them) behind their backs.”

44. 6. Trade Christian community for distinctly unChristiancompany. “Then they begin to adhere to, and associate themselves with, carnal,loose, and wanton men.” • 7. Pursue rebellious conversation and fellowship. “Then they give way to carnal and wanton discourses in secret; and glad are they if they can see such things in any that are counted honest, that they may the more boldly do it through their example.”

45. 8. Allow yourself to enjoy some small, sinful pleasures. “After this they begin to play with little sins openly.” • 9. Admit what you are and prepare yourself for everlasting torment. “And then, being hardened, they show themselves as they are. Thus, being launched again into the gulf of misery, unless a miracle of grace prevent it, they everlastingly perish in their own deceivings.”