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Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hey, thanks so much for listening to this message. My name is Jason and I'm one of the ministers here at the Madison Church of Christ. It's our hope and prayer that the teaching from God's Word you hear today will bless your life and draw you closer to Him. If you're ever in the Madison, Alabama area, we'd love for you to worship with us on Sundays at 8:30 or 10:30am if you have any other questions about the Bible or want to know more about the Madison Church, find [email protected] Be sure to also check out our Bible Study podcast, Madison Church of Christ Bible Studies. Thanks again for stopping by.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: Good morning to all of you.
We'll remember the special memorial celebration for Ray MAHAN On Tuesday, 1:00.
You know, Ray was our oldest member here in the congregation.
Had he lived till September, he'd been 94 years old.
And now brother Jesse James steps into the limelight as our oldest. And I've moved up from number six to five.
So still climbing toward the top.
In Psalm 78, we have a great indictment of the children of Israel there. In verse 41 it says, yes, again and again they tempted God.
They did not, and they limited the Holy One of Israel.
They did not remember his power the day that he redeemed them from their enemy.
Since the creation of the world, there had not been such a visual outpouring of the power of God here upon the earth, as was demonstrated when God redeemed his people from their bondage in Egypt and took them into the promised land.
There in Egypt, they saw the 10 plagues, each one becoming a little harder on the Egyptians, until finally that 10th plague where both the firstborn male of man and beast died in the night. And God said, there will be a cry in Egypt such as never been heard before or will never be heard afterward. And so it was. And not only did the Egyptians allow the Israelites to leave, they begged them to leave, and even were willing to give them their spoils in order that they might get them out of the land.
Then as they left, they came to the Red Sea. And Pharaoh thought they had lost themselves in the wilderness. And so he decided, I've made a terrible mistake letting these people go free labor. And so he gathered his army and went after them. And when the people saw the armies of Pharaoh coming, they cried unto Moses, you brought us out here to die in the wilderness.
And Moses said, stand still and see the power of God. And that angel of the Lord that was in the cloud directing Israel went Back formed a barrier between the armies of Pharaoh and the Israelites. And all night long, there was a strong eastern wind that dried up, separated and dried up the bed of the sea. And then Israel went across on dry land, Egypt. The soldiers there pursued God, caused their carrot wheels to lock up and finally fall off.
And when they realized the terrible prediction they were in, Moses held his rod out over the sea, and the waters engulfed and drowned the armies of Pharaoh. They said also, when they were six weeks out of Egypt and their supply of food that they carried with them gave out, they woke up, and there was a hoary frost over the land.
And they came out saying, manna, manna. What is this?
And they used this bread in every sort of way they could.
They could boil it, they could fry it, they could roast it. And this sustained them during 40 years there in the wilderness. And they came to the rock there at Rephidim, where they were without water. And Moses smote the rock. And the indication from First Corinthians 10, verse 4 is that that water not only gushed out for that place, but formed a river that followed them as they went down. And according to the Jewish tradition, up and down the mountains in order that they might have drink as they were there in the wilderness. They saw the power of God there at Sinai when that old mountain quaked and shook and smoked. And then that terrible sound of the trumpet that got louder and louder so that they begged moses, please, you talk to God and we'll listen to you and do what God says.
And then they saw the meat come in when they asked for meat. And God said, you tell them I'm going to give them meat not for one day, two days, five days, 10, not for 20, but for a month, and not just a little bit. They'll have meat until they're sick of it. It runs up their nostrils. And so it was. Even Moses was sort of doubtful there. And he said, lord, are you going to bring all of the fish of the sea, or will herds and flocks be slain?
And God said, is anything too hard for Jehovah? And here these quail came in such a bunch of them, flying around about three feet above the ground, that the Israelites went quail hunting all one day and a night, and the next day. And the one who gathered the least had over 80 bushels of quail. And so they had seen the power of God again and again.
And Moses warned them. The book of Deuteronomy has the three discourses of Moses that make up most of the book.
And in that seven times, Moses said to them, take heed lest you forget. Don't forget. Be careful you don't forget what they forgot.
And here, as they went into the land with those heathen idols, here, they had seen the sustaining hand of God for 40 years. With Amana, they had seen the meat that had been brought in. And yet when they wanted to have good crops, they went with the people of the land and worshiped baal, who was supposed to be the God of nature and the God that would give them good harvest.
So again and again they forgot God.
And you know, we need to be careful lest we forget the power of God.
I wish as a young man that I had started a journal, and when I faced a problem that I couldn't handle, just put down the date, the nature of the problem, the prayers that I prayed, how long I waited, what I expected, what I, how God answered. And then in bold letters at the end of that episode to say God did not fail me.
And think how that at this point in life, I could go back through that voluminous journal and see time after time how God had seen me through what I thought were impossible odds and how that would bolster my faith. I couldn't remember a lot of them, but I wish I'd put them down. And so I have a one by one to just thumb through and look at and remember. And this is, in effect, what David did in Psalms 23. He told of what God had done was doing. And then he said, surely goodness and mercy and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. So based on the success of the past, he projected into the future.
But look back at that text.
It says, they limited the Holy One of Israel.
Can weak mortal man limit the omnipotent immortal God?
Sounds almost like blasphemy.
And yet it's true.
It's true because God chose himself when he created man to limit himself.
Remember, he created man in his own image. And part of that was giving to man the power of choice. The lower animals had their instincts that they followed, but God wanted in man to have someone that could love him, that would follow him because he wanted to follow him.
And when man failed, there in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve.
The rest of the Bible deals with the story of how God was trying to bring man back to him, while at the same time respecting this freedom to choose.
Viktor Frankl, the Viennese psychiatrist who for over three years was imprisoned in various Nazi prison camps commented on this. He said, they took away my freedom to speak or to be silent, my freedom to stand or sit, my freedom to lie down or stand up when I went to bed, when I got up, where I ate, what I ate, how long I ate.
But he said, there's one freedom that no one can take away from you, and that's the freedom to choose how you will react in whatever situation you're in.
And I might add that not even God himself will do that.
Now, God will try to get us to obey him. He will not force us, but he'll try to create a climate where it is favorable toward obedience. For example, Romans chapter 2, verse 4 says, don't you know that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? And so we see God in His goodness and how he gives the fruitful harvest, and we have the seasons and all of the blessings that he pours out upon us. John said, we love him because he first loved us, and so we try to repay that. And there's something in the human heart that says, if someone does good to me, I have a debt to repay.
And God depends upon that in part to bring man to do his will.
Oh, the greatest, the greatest goodness that is ever shown to us was in sending his Son to this earth to show us what the Father is like, and then finally to give himself as a sacrifice for the sins of man. And Jesus said, and I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto myself. There's the greatest goodness of God, the greatest power of God to draw us to him. But he also has another side. Paul said in the Roman letter, behold the goodness and the severity of God. There is the matter of the punishment that comes in this sowing and reaping. Galatians 6, 7, 8. God is not whatsoever man soweth that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh shall to the flesh reap corruption. He that sows to the spirit, will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. So when we sow bad seed, we're going to get bad results, and we're going to suffer for the bad choices, the bad deeds that we do. And God hopes by this means to bring us in. Hebrews 12, 6, 6. Whom God loves, he chastens and reproves every son whom he accepts. So the rebuke, the reproof of God is another way that he's trying to bring us into line with his will.
And yet, if these don't work, there can come a point in our lives where God says, okay, you have made your bed, now lie in it.
Romans 1:21,24.
Paul says of the heathen world that they had the knowledge of God. God. Everything that might be known of God was revealed unto them, but they refused to have God in their knowledge.
Then he says, therefore God gave them up.
We can go so far in rebelling against God that God won't give us up and say, all right, that's it. And woe unto the one that reaches that point in his life where God gives up on him.
And we need to consider ourselves very seriously whether or not our rebellion, our stubbornness, our refusal to obey him has reached the point where God is ready to give up on us.
But it says they limited the Holy One of Israel. How do we limit the Holy One of Israel? Well, I've suggested three ways. These are by no means the all inclusive ways, but three ways that we do limit God. And one is inherent here in Psalm 78 is the matter of our lack of faith.
It says, they did not remember his power and therefore because of their unbelief, they limited God. In Hebrews 3, 18, 19, the writer says, and with whom was God displeased in the wilderness? To whom did he say, they shall not enter into my rest?
Was it not to those that were disobedient? Was it not to those who did not go in because of their lack of faith?
Now, when Israel went out of Egypt, went down through the gorge of the dried up bed of the sea, there were 603,550 men that were 20 years old and upward.
Forty years later, there was a group of Israelites that marched across the dry bed of the Jordan River. At that time there were 601,730 of the same age group.
One says, Fine, then they just lost about a little over 1800 of them.
Not at all.
Of those 600 3000, 550 that went through the gorge of the Red Sea, only two crossed the dry riverbed of the Jordan river because of a lack of faith. And those two were Joshua and Caleb.
And so because of unbelief, they were not able to enter the Lamb. Look at another example, latter part of Matthew, chapter 13.
Jesus went back to his hometown of Nazareth. There he spoke in the synagogue, and when he finished, the people said, where did this fellow get all this learning?
Is this not the son of Mary? And are not his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, Judas, here with us and his sisters?
And the record says, and they were offended at him.
And it says that Jesus was not able to do Many mighty works there because of their unbelief. In Mark 6, in the parallel account, it says he's able only to heal a few sick folk. And that he marveled. He marveled at their unbelief. Think about it. Nazareth could been a city or a village that was disease free, that was disabled free, that was demon possessed free.
Christ had that power and that desire. But because of their lack of faith, there were only just a few examples of those that were healed there.
Look at another example. In Matthew 14, Christ had fed the 5,000, told his disciples, get in the boat. I'll dismiss the crowd. When he dismissed them, went up into the mountain to pray alone. And then at the fourth hour, fourth watch of the night, between three and six in the morning, he looked out and there they were rowing against the contrary wind. And they had been rowing and had gotten only three or four miles from the shore, not even halfway across. Christ went walking as though he'd go by them. And they cried out, thinking he was a ghost spirit. And he said, be not afraid. It is I, Peter. Lord, if it is you, bid me come out to you.
Jesus said, come on. Peter jumped over the side, started walking. And then he got his eyes off of the Lord and looked at the water. Down he went like a lead ball, cried out, jesus, have mercy on me. And Christ pulled him up. They got in the boat and he said, why did you doubt? Oh, ye of little faith. Instead of being one that could be known, here was the disciple that had the faith to walk to Jesus on those stormy waters. We remember Peter as one who said, bid me come. Started.
And his faith failed him.
In the city of Jericho, there was a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus.
Bartimaeus kept up with the seasons. And he had an idea of the passageway along that Jericho road.
And he heard as he sat by the road there, a large crowd coming. And you know, he knew they were going. A lot of people going up for the Passover. And religious people like this are the ones that he's most likely to get some money from. He said, what's this? They said, that's just a. The prophet from Galilee, Jesus. And he cried out, jesus, thou son of God, son of David, have mercy on me. They said, be quiet, Jesus the louder. And Jesus stopped, said, tell him to come here.
And Bartimaeus came, fell at the feet of the Lord.
The Lord said, what do you want me to do for you?
And remember, Bartimaeus was a professional beggar. He was seeking alms, gifts from those people and he could have said, lord, I know that you have a lot of influence for these people.
And if you just say, this is a good man here, I'd like to see all of you help him. Why, they would have filled my bucket with coins.
Ah, but Bartimaeus had more faith than that.
Instead of asking for alms, he said, lord, I want to see. Give me my sight. And the Lord gave him his sight. And he joined the multitude that followed Christ on into Jerusalem.
You know, faith caused Gideon with 300 men to attack an army of Midianites that had more than 120,000.
Faith caused a seasoned commander like Joshua had become over a 40 year period to do one of the most unmilitary maneuvers you can imagine, marching 13 times around the city, expecting the walls to come down. And they did come down. Because God promised, you'd do it, I'll do this. And he believed it. And if we could only have the faith in God to believe that his promises and they will come true, he'll never fail us or forsake us.
But then we also fail to give Christ the glory and to give God the honor of his strength because of selfishness.
You know, James said, in James, chapter four, verse three, you ask and receive nothing, because you ask amiss that you may consume it on your own lust.
In Second Corinthians 9, 6, Paul says this, I say unto you that every one that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly. He that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Do we believe that?
Listen to this. In Malachi, chapter 3, verse 8. Speaking the words of God, Malachi wrote, will a man rob God?
And yet you have robbed me, all of you. You say, how have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings? You have robbed me even the whole nation.
And then he listen to this.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse and prove me hereby if I will not open the windows of heaven, and there will be not enough room to receive the blessing.
Someone says, that's Old Testament. Well, let's try one from the new mark 6:36.
The words of Christ himself, when he says, give and it shall be given unto you good measure. Providence pressed down, shaken together, shall men pour into your bosom. Imagine someone wanting grain without a bag. He takes his sash, he binds up this outer garment and then opens the neck, and they begin to pour it in, and they shake it down and pack it up and then finally running out until you looks like the Pittsburgh Doughboy But Christ said, if you'll do that, because how you measure will be measured back to you. You give with a spoonful, you get with a spoonful. Give with a shovelful, you get with a shovelful.
But our selfishness can keep us from honoring God.
Well, so many more things to say about that. But as time moves on the third, in closing with this, we limit God.
When we fail to hear his invitation, fail to respond.
Jesus said, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Jesus was going into Jerusalem for that last week of his life.
He stopped on Mount Olivet. There you get a beautiful panoramic view of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley there on the five mountains that the city is built on.
When he stopped there with his prophetic vision, he could look into the future 40 years AD 70, when Rome destroyed Jerusalem, and see that beautiful Kidron Valley littered with crosses. Josephus, the Jewish writer who saw it, said, the Romans crucified so many Jews until there was no wood for crosses or room for the crosses.
And Christ broke down and cried.
He said, o Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou which killeth the prophets and stone with those that are sent unto thee.
How often I wanted to gather you together as a hen gathers a brood under her wings, but you were not willing.
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
And then in his letter to the church at Laodicea, that church that said, we have no need of nothing. And God said, you don't know that you're poor, blind, miserable, naked.
But he gives this invitation. Revelation 3:20.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If any man will open the door, I will come in and sup with him, and he with me.
The one who upholds all things by the word of his might stands at the door of your heart this morning.
And he's knocking, he's saying, let me in. He'll not break the door of your heart down.
Though he has all power, he will not do it.
It's up to you to make the response up to you, to say, lord, I believe that you are the Son of God. I turned my back on the sin in my life, and I want to be immersed in water, to be freed from all of the sins that I've ever committed, to be your child. And as I walk in the light, to enjoy the continual cleansing day by day.
Revelation 22:17 the bride and the Spirit say come.
He that heareth, let him say come.
He that will let him come.
Whosoever will let him drink of the water of life freely.
The invitation is yours. The decision is yours.
Will you come as we stand the same?
