Will You Obey Or Not?

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. The Difficulty
• II. The Response
• III. The Test

TRANSCRIPT

Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 15:22-27. From here onwards, the biblical narrative would embark on the Israelites' journey in the wilderness. But why didn't God just bring the Israelites straight into the Promised Land? Why did they have to spend 40 years in the wilderness? You see, the Israelites had seen the great salvation of the Lord. They had trusted and believed in God. Going through the wilderness was not necessary for their salvation. If they had believed, they were already saved. But it was necessary for their sanctification.

Likewise, as believers, we have trusted and believed in Jesus Christ. What happens after our salvation? The answer is sanctification. All the trials, problems, and struggles we face in life are meant to sanctify us, to teach us to obey and depend on God alone, to teach us to have absolute confidence in His faithfulness. Just like the Israelites, you and I have not yet reached the Promised Land; we are still in the wilderness, so to speak. The journey of life may be tough, it may be difficult, and it may be filled with troubles. But God has a purpose to allow all these things to happen because He is sanctifying us.

The first thing the Israelites encountered in the wilderness was the lack of water. And remember, the purpose of the wilderness was to sanctify them. So this difficulty they faced was not something that happened randomly. It was not by chance or coincidence; it was by God's providence to teach them these great spiritual lessons of obedience, dependence, and complete confidence in His faithfulness. The question is, will the Israelites obey or not? The title of our message is the same: "Will You Obey or Not?"

I. The Difficulty

Our first point is: the difficulty. Let us begin with verse 22: "So Moses brought 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." This wilderness stretched from Egypt almost all the way to Palestine. As it was a desert climate, the weather was hot and dry with no vegetation at all. Most certainly, it was insufficient to support the large group of immigrants. Although there were several watering holes in the desert, not all the water was suitable for human consumption.

As Moses led the Israelites away from the Red Sea and into the wilderness, soon they found themselves in real trouble. They faced the most basic of all physical needs: water. They had been traveling for three days in the wilderness, and there was no water. You can imagine the desperation in the hearts of the people. It was already hard not to have water for three days, how much more in the desert, in that hot and dry climate. Then all of a sudden, they saw an oasis in front of them. Most certainly, they would have shouted, ‘Praise the Lord!’

But then, as they hurried forward to reach it and bent down to take a drink, verse 23 tells us: "And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah." The water was more than just distasteful. it was bitter; it was totally unfit for human consumption. The name "Marah" means bitter. Most theologians identified the place Mara with Ain Hawarah, where the water is still bitter even to this day. This was the first sign of difficulty, which means it was the Israelites' first challenge in the wilderness. And how they respond to this challenge would reveal their spiritual maturity.

Dear friends, we face difficulties and challenges of all sorts almost every day of our lives. It can be little things like making decisions in our day-to-day activities, what we ought to eat, what we ought to do, where we ought to go to, or it can be big things like facing poverty, disability, chronic sickness, and even death. Whether big things or little things, how we respond to those challenges and issues would reveal our spiritual maturity. If our response is first to consider God's Word and then prayerfully seek the Lord's will, then it proves that we are spiritually mature. But if our response is contrary to God's Word, and we do not consider God and His will, and we just simply employ our own humanistic ideas and we just murmur and complain at the first sign of trouble, then it will reveal that we are spiritually immature.

II. The Response

Let us see how the children of Israel responded to the first difficulty they faced in the wilderness. This brings us to the second point: the response. Verse 24 says, "And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?" On the surface, it may appear as if the people were asking a genuine question: ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘Where can we find water?’ You see, people may ask a simple, direct question like, ‘What do you want me to do?’ or ‘What do you expect me to do?’ or ‘Where can I find the resources to do the work?’ There's nothing wrong with asking questions. The problem is in their attitudes, in their hearts. They have a complaining spirit because the Bible says the people murmured against Moses.

Remember, they had every reason to believe that God would save them because He had just divided the Red Sea and caused them to walk on dry land while the Egyptians were drowned in the deep waters. They had every reason to believe that God would answer their prayers because it was in response to their cries that God had delivered them from Egypt. They had every reason to believe that God had the power over His creation. They had witnessed the demonstration of God's power in the ten plagues. Furthermore, there was this pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night still hanging over them. So they had every reason to believe that God was leading them.

But instead of crying out to God for help and asking Him to provide them with water, they murmured and complained. Isn't it amazing that just a few days ago, they were singing praises to God by the shores of the Red Sea, and now they were on the verge of open rebellion? They were rebelling against Moses. When they did that, they were rebelling against God because he was God's servant and prophet. Sometimes we find ourselves in the same situation. One moment we are in a spiritual heightening, and then the next moment we are in the valley of our spirituality. And then when we look up, we cry, and murmur, and complain. Just like the Israelites, one moment singing praises to God, the next moment they were murmuring and complaining. God forbids.

There are two important lessons we can learn about the sin of murmuring. Firstly, the sin of murmuring reveals what is truly in our hearts. Obviously, the Israelites' open rebellion was a clear indication of their spiritual immaturity, but more importantly, it revealed what was truly in their hearts. They were forgetful; they forgot how God had just delivered them a few days ago. They forgot how God demonstrated His power in the ten plagues. They were selfish; their primary concern was what God would do for them and nothing about themselves serving God's glory. It was all about what God would do for them. They were ungrateful; they were not grateful for past mercies, and the moment they did not receive what they wanted, they murmured and complained. And their greatest problem was a lack of faith; they did not trust in the faithfulness of God.

Dear friend, what was true of the Israelites is also true of us. Whenever we murmur and complain, it reveals the true nature of our hearts that we are forgetful, selfish, ungrateful, and lacking faith. When we murmur because we are sick, because we have an illness, we forget how we have been enjoying good health and strength practically most of our days. Most of the time, we murmur because we did not receive what we want, but we forget that what we want has nothing to do with the glory of God and it may be against His will too. The reason why we murmur is because we take our eyes away from God, and the reason why we take our eyes away from God is because we do not trust in His faithfulness. May the Lord forgive us.

The second important lesson we ought to learn from the sin of murmuring is its danger. The danger of a complaining spirit is that it is something that will come between us and God. It is something that will hinder our prayer life. It is something that will cause us to be ineffective in the ministry. Do you know of anyone who is always complaining, always murmuring, and yet the person is prayerful or the person is effective in the ministry? Most certainly not. Do you think God will use such a person who is always murmuring mightily in His kingdom? Surely not.

The sin of murmuring will render us ineffective and useless in the kingdom of God. When someone is murmuring, it shows that he or she is bitter in the heart. John Calvin said, allow me to paraphrase what he said, ‘The problem at Mara was not the water, bitter though it was, but the true bitterness is in the hearts of the people.’ In other words, bitterness does not come from the outward circumstances but in the inward response to the outward circumstances.

Many years ago, I knew of a sister in Christ in Sydney. She was diagnosed with cancer, and throughout the years, she had multiple relapses. So you can imagine, good news, bad news, good news, bad news, or rather no news, bad news, no news, bad news. Often times, she would have her hands and feet all bandaged up, and she would have to wear long sleeve blouses to hide the ugly injection marks all over her arms. And most certainly, she would be in pain. But I have never seen anyone more cheerful than her. Truly, she would always say, ‘Praise the Lord, God is good. I am alive because of His mercy.’

Dear friend, the problem is not in the outward circumstances but in our inward responses to the outward circumstances. We are called not to complain but to believe in the goodness of our God even when He leads us to bitter waters. Do you think God does not know what we are going through? He knows, and He has a purpose in all things in our lives, a mixture of good things and bad things, to work out that which is good for us, to accomplish His sovereign purpose for you and me. And one of His sovereign purposes is to teach us to obey and depend on Him alone, to teach us to have absolute confidence in His faithfulness.

So the next time we want to murmur and complain, let us remember these two important lessons. The sin of murmuring not only is an indication of our spiritual immaturity, but it reveals what is truly in our hearts, that we are forgetful, selfish, ungrateful, and lacking faith. The sin of murmuring is also something that will come between us and God. It is something that will hinder our prayer life. It is something that will cause us to be ineffective in the ministry, rendering us ineffective and useless in the kingdom of God. If we do not want that to happen, then we must stop murmuring. Stop complaining.

Do not be like the Israelites but be like Moses. Remember, Moses was in the same situation as the Israelites. He had been traveling three days in the wilderness together with them. There was no water, but when he was confronted by this desperate physical need, he did not grumble. Instead, he took all his troubles to the Lord in prayer. He knew how to handle a difficult situation in a spiritual way. He knew he could not provide for the people, but God could. So he cried out to the Lord.

Look at the first part of verse 25, “And he cried unto the LORD”. His one little prayer accomplished more than the murmurings of the millions of Israelites. Take a moment and consider this: when we face difficulties in life, what do we want? We want a solution, right? Can our complaints and murmurings accomplish anything as far as finding a solution to our problems? No. All our complaints and murmurings not only will not help us, they will even cause us more harm. They will not only affect us, but they will affect the people around us.

Moses could have joined in the murmurings of the millions of Israelites, but he did not do that. Instead, he walked away and cried out to the Lord. There will always be people around us, whether in the church, in the fellowship groups, or even in our families, who will be murmuring and complaining. Instead of joining them and being influenced by them, it is always wise to walk away and commit ourselves to the Lord in prayer because we believe that only God can help us. Only our prayers can help us if they are directed to God in faith.

Look at the second part of verse 25, “and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet”. God answered by showing Moses a tree. The literal meaning is a piece of wood. And when Moses cast it into the water, it became pure, wholesome, and sweet, and the people were able to drink to their satisfaction.

Now the question arises as to whether this was a genuine miracle or whether the piece of wood had some natural healing or some chemical properties that caused the waters to be purified. However, no such tree has ever been discovered throughout history, and it is impossible to see how one single piece of wood could purify so much water, and on top of that, how it was able to purify the water in an instant, immediately.

So like all the other miracles we have considered, we have to conclude that what happened at Marah was a genuine supernatural miracle. What is remarkable is not just that God was able to perform this miracle, but the fact that He was willing to do it to a group of rebellious and ungrateful people. You see, God's purpose was to sanctify them, and God's purpose in leading them first to the bitter waters and then providing them with sweet waters was a test of their faith. God wanted them to grow in their faith, and the only way was to show them that they were weak in their faith. That is why the end of verse 25 says, "there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them”.

III. The Test

This brings us to our last and final point: the test. The word "proof" means to test. In other words, God was putting them to this test. What was the test? Verse 26: "And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee."

Remember, the Israelites had just come out of Egypt. What was in Egypt was left in Egypt. From now onwards, they must be a separated people unto God, and as God's people, they must be governed by laws. Not just any laws, not human laws, but God's laws. So here God gave them statutes, ordinances, and commandments, and they were expected to obey. Every day of their lives, they would be put to the test. Will they obey God and receive His blessings, or will they disobey God and receive His chastisement? Every day, they will be tested.

So the wilderness was Israel's teacher, so to speak. Charles Spurgeon, the preacher, described it as — let me quote him, ‘The wilderness was the Oxford and Cambridge for God's students. There in the wilderness, they went to the university, and God taught them and trained them, and they took their degrees before they entered into the Promised Land. Like most institutions of higher learning, the wilderness university had an examination system. God tested His people, Israel. He gave them a command with warnings and promises, a command with blessings and curses.’

Dear friends, likewise, we are also put to a test. The test is not in the pen and paper. The test is not in the classroom where we write down all the answers. Every day and every moment of our lives is a test. God has given to us His Word. Will you obey or not? In the decisions we make, in the challenges we face, in the things we do, say, or think, will we obey God's Word, or will we disobey His Word? Every day, every moment, we are put to a test.

The Israelites failed in the first test. At the first sight of trouble they murmured and complained but God was gracious to them. He patiently provided them with water to drink. Then He led them to this most amazing place called Elim to show them what kind of God He was and how He was able to provide for all their needs. In a sense, God was saying to them, ‘You want water? I give you water and plenty of it.’ Look at the last verse, verse 27: "And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees" — which means seventy palm trees — ”and they encamped there by the waters."

Elim was a place of abundance. The fact that there were palm trees tells us that there was this great supply of underground waters. We must not read too much into the numbers twelve and seventy, but it is sufficient to say that God's provision was so abundant that there was a well for each of the tribe of Israel. Every one of those tribes would have a well, and there was a tree for each of the seventy elders of Israel. In other words, there was plenty for everyone. A moment ago, they were complaining that there was no water, and now God brought them to a place where they had plenty of it, the abundance of it.

Dear friends, do you believe that God is able to provide for you? He's not only able to provide for us, but He is able to provide for us abundantly. That is who our God is; that is just how gracious He is. God has given us His Word. Every day of our lives, we are put to the test. He wants us to grow spiritually. He wants us to come to a point in our lives whereby we will no longer question whether God is able to provide for us or not, or how is He going to provide for us, but rather when He's going to provide. He wants us to come to a point in our lives whereby we will not murmur and complain, whatever be the trouble, whatever be the struggles, whatever be the trials, but we will learn to obey and depend on Him alone, that we will have this complete confidence in His faithfulness. The question is, will we obey or not?

Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider this portion of Scriptures. Indeed, there are valuable lessons for us to learn from the lives of the Israelites. At the first sign of trouble, they murmured and complained, despite having witnessed the demonstration of Thy power, despite having received Thy blessings and how Thou has delivered them from Egypt. But we also learn from the example of Moses that instead of murmuring and complaining, he brought all his troubles to Thee; he cried out to Thee.

So help us that, as we understand the danger of the sin of murmuring, how it will reveal what is truly in our hearts, that we are forgetful, selfish, ungrateful, and lacking faith. And the sin of murmuring will come between us and Thee because it will hinder our prayer lives, it will hinder our effectiveness in the ministry and then render us ineffective and useless in Thy kingdom.

And Thou has taught us that Thou has given Thy commandments, the Word of God, to prove us. Every day of our lives, we are put to the test in all our decision-making, in all the challenges we face, in the things we do, say, or think. We either obey Thee or disobey. Oh Lord, help us that we will always remain faithful, that we will pass the test of faith, that we will always obey and depend on Thee and Thee alone, and have a complete, absolute confidence in Thy faithfulness. May Thou do Thy wondrous work in each and every one of our lives. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

Exodus 1:1-7

From Prosperity to Persecution

From Prosperity to Persecution

Exodus 1:8-14

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

Exodus 1:15-21

The Faith of Jochebed

The Faith of Jochebed

Exodus 1:22-2:10

Moses in Egypt

Moses in Egypt

Exodus 2:11-15

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Exodus 2:16-25

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-9

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

Exodus 3:10-15

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Exodus 3:10-15

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

Exodus 3:16-22

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

Exodus 4:1-9

Send Someone Else

Send Someone Else

Exodus 4:10-17

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Exodus 4:18-20

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

Exodus 5:10-21

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

Exodus 5:22-6:5

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Exodus 6:6-12

Faithful or Unfaithful

Faithful or Unfaithful

Exodus 6:13-27

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

Exodus 6:28-7:7

The First Plague - The River of Blood

The First Plague - The River of Blood

Exodus 7:14-25

The Second Plague - The Frogs

The Second Plague - The Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15

The Third Plague

The Third Plague

Exodus 8:16-19

The Fourth Plague

The Fourth Plague

Exodus 8:20-32

The Fifth Plague

The Fifth Plague

Exodus 9:1-7

The Sixth Plague

The Sixth Plague

Exodus 9:8-12

The Seventh Plague

The Seventh Plague

Exodus 9:13-35

The Eighth Plague

The Eighth Plague

Exodus 10:1-20

The Tenth Plague

The Tenth Plague

Exodus 11:1-10

The First Passover

The First Passover

Exodus 12:1-13

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14-28

Departure From Egypt

Departure From Egypt

Exodus 12:29-42

This Do In Remembrance of Me

This Do In Remembrance of Me

Exodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12

Redemption and Consecration

Redemption and Consecration

Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Exodus 13:17-22

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Exodus 14:1-14

Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 14:15-31

The Song of Praise

The Song of Praise

Exodus 15:1-21

Will You Obey Or Not?

Will You Obey Or Not?

Exodus 15:22-27

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

Exodus 16:1-3

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

Exodus 16:1-10

The Test of Faith

The Test of Faith

Exodus 16:11-20

Lessons About the Sabbath

Lessons About the Sabbath

Exodus 16:21-36

Do Not Test God

Do Not Test God

Exodus 17:1-17

Lift Up Your Hands

Lift Up Your Hands

Exodus 17:8-16

The Blessedness of Reunion

The Blessedness of Reunion

Exodus 18:1-12

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Exodus 18:13-27

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

Exodus 19:1-6

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Exodus 19:7-15

God Reached Out And Spoke

God Reached Out And Spoke

Exodus 19:16-25

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Exodus 20:1-3

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Exodus 20:4-6

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Exodus 20:7

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Exodus 20:8-11

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Exodus 20:12

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Exodus 20:13

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Exodus 20:14

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Exodus 20:15

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Exodus 20:16

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Exodus 20:17

The Response To The Ten Commandments

The Response To The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:18-21

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

Exodus 20:22-26

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Exodus 21:1-11

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

Exodus 21:12-17

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

Exodus 21:18-36

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

Exodus 22:1-15

The Character Of God

The Character Of God

Exodus 22:16-20

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Exodus 22:21-24

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

Exodus 22:25-31

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Exodus 23:1-9

Remember Who God Is

Remember Who God Is

Exodus 23:10-19

What Must We Do To Have Victory

What Must We Do To Have Victory

Exodus 23:20-33

How We Ought To Worship God

How We Ought To Worship God

Exodus 24:1-4, 7

On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?

On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?

Exodus 24:4-8

Responding To God’s Invitation

Responding To God’s Invitation

Exodus 24:9-18

The Right Attitude Of Giving

The Right Attitude Of Giving

Exodus 25:1-8

There I Will Meet You

There I Will Meet You

Exodus 25:9-22

Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?

Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?

Exodus 25:23-30

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

Exodus 33:12-23