The LORD Among Us

"Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel."

Exodus 17:6

As I read this passage I was struck by the reality of God's presence, that He would stand before Moses on the rock in Horeb.  His presence had led them out of Egypt in a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, yet the thirsty people wondered if God had brought them out of Egypt to slay them.  They were so incensed against Moses he imagined they wanted to stone him to death.  Moses came before the LORD and prayed about what to do.

When Moses obeyed God's command and struck the rock upon which God stood, water flowed abundantly from the rock.  All the people, their flocks and herds were supplied with water from God who was their Rock.  Like many of the miracles God did that are recorded in the Old and New Testament, it served multiple purposes:  to meet the physical needs of people, and to display the grace and power of God.  Exodus 17:7 shows how the situation was a demonstration of God's presence among His unbelieving people:  "So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

Jesus walked through Israel and did many signs and wonders that confirmed His identity as God-made-flesh and the Gospel He preached.  In His grace God did not just provide water for those who believed but all were granted water so they all might believe.  Jesus healed many people who did not believe He was the Son of God, yet their healing was a testimony their conscience did well to consider long after Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven.  When the Living Water of the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 disciples on Pentecost, it was evidence God was with His people in-person.

Paul wrote of the children of Israel in 1 Corinthians 10:4-5:  "...and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. ⁵ But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness."  Paul urged followers of Jesus to go beyond the marvel of God's miraculous provision of water that temporarily satisfied the thirst of the people.  God's provision did not quench their thirst for idolatry, lust, fornication, murmuring and unbelief.  This warns those who Christ has made to stand take heed lest they fall.  God is faithful, for with every temptation makes the way of escape and strengthens us to endure.

Let us not be lifted up in pride nor lose heart as we look to Jesus who is faithful.  Jesus our Good Shepherd goes before us , and we have all assurance "goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."  By faith in Jesus the Holy Spirit spiritually regenerates and fills us.  Knowing God is among and in each one of His redeemed people brings satisfaction and rest for our souls as we live to please Him.

Faith and Freedom From Fear

Today I read a troubling article of vulnerable people being deceived by a scam artist posing as a fortune teller in Sydney.  Two of the people interviewed were told they had an evil spirit on them and their children and would die unless they paid money for extensive prayer.  They ended up being conned out of tens of thousands of dollars out of fear for the well-being of their children and family.  Fear is a pervasive, consuming force in the lives of countless people today overcome only by faith in Christ.

One might think the opposite of fear is courage or bravery, but Jesus revealed it is faith in God.  People might be viewed as courageous because of what they have done or do, yet fear could be mixed with what prompted them to do what they did.  After the disciples panicked in fear during a storm on the Sea of Galilee Mark 4:40 reads, "But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"  Faith in Jesus was the antidote to fear that caused them to cry out and wonder if Jesus even cared about them.  When we have faith in God who loves us, our fear is cast out as it says in 1 John 4:18:  "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

Knowing God loves us makes us bold even in the face of judgment.  Believers in Christ do not need to have trepidation about our future on earth or even final judgment, for Jesus has already taken our deserved punishment upon Himself and promised abundant, eternal life.  He has forgiven and expunged us of our sins, He has destroyed every curse and has overcome all spiritual foes to make our hearts His own dwelling place.  For those who do not know and trust Jesus, however, fear is a rational response in light of our inability to save, redeem or deliver ourselves from evil--or even protect ourselves from the lies of deceitful people.  To those who are afraid Jesus speaks words of life and love as the living, almighty God before whom all angels and demons tremble.  In Him alone we find rest for our souls.

For those who worship demons there are millions of other demons as well--millions more reasons to be in fear should you not gain the attention and protection of your limited deity.  The eternal God who created all living things, all spirits, people and animals, has humbled Himself to be revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.  All who  came to Jesus who were possessed or oppressed by evil spirits were delivered free of charge, and Jesus also went to the man who had a legion of spirits no man could tame and freed him without a fight or a fee.  To all people who have been put in fear to pay a fee for your deliverance or protection know Jesus paid the price of your redemption with His own blood.  There is hope for you today, right this minute.  All people by God's grace can receive salvation and freedom from the curse of sin and death by faith in Jesus who loves us.  Have faith in Jesus Christ, and you will have freedom from fear.

Bless the LORD Who Heals

The Sunday sermon at Calvary Chapel Sydney concluded with Psalm 103:1-5:  "Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! ² Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: ³ Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, ⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, ⁵ Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."  God was faithful to His promise to be with His people, keep them and provide for all their needs.  To this glorious expression of praise believers can say amen, for He is worthy of our praise and adoration.

Through what Jesus has accomplished for those who trust in Him, we are most blessed and ought to bless His holy name.  In the Gospels we read of Jesus forgiving sins, healing the diseased, and paying the price of eternal redemption through His blood.  Jesus proved He was able to forgive sins by healing a paralysed man.  Anyone can claim to forgive sins because there is no physical corresponding evidence, so Jesus proved His power to forgive by healing and incurable, untreatable condition.  It is interesting people who do not balk at the idea of all their sins being forgiven struggle with verses about healing when it doesn't happen.  This subject of healing raises a few eyebrows even among believers:  surely God does not heal all our diseases, for many Christians have died of illnesses.  So what does this mean?

God created our bodies with systems that work together to promote health and healing for the body.  As science has advanced in knowledge and practice, modern medicine is able to leverage these natural systems to quicken and aid the healing process.  The psalmist David understood that if and when we are healed from a disease, it is God's doing.  But the stubborn fact remains that not everyone is always healed.  There are incurable conditions, cancers and COVID.  It is obvious faith in God does not guarantee physical healing, for 2 Kings 13:14 says concerning the faithful prophet:  "Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die..."  Because of passages like this people wonder if healing is always God's will.  I am convinced physical healing is God's will, though God allows things to occur on earth as a result of sin that are not His will.  All who came to Jesus were healed by Him, so this is strong evidence healing is always God's will.  Sickness and death came as a result of sin, and sin is never God's will.

While it is possible God can miraculously heal someone in an instant, God does not always do so.  As we are called to trust Him to heal, we must also trust His means and timing.  God might choose to heal a person through a prayer of faith in Him or after a poultice of figs is administered.  Jesus made mud with His saliva and smeared it over a blind man's eyes and after he washed was able to see.  The power to heal is God's alone, and He will do it His way.  We also must leave the timing to Him.  It may be we will never be fully healed until our bodies die and we enter eternal glory.  The criminal crucified alongside Jesus went that day into paradise and he was made whole of the wounds that resulted in his physical death:  faith in Jesus in an instant brought forgiveness, healing, redemption, a crown of glory and eternal satisfaction enjoyed in the presence of God forever.  He was healed and more still, glorified and immortal.  How good is our God!

Offer a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

"And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will."

Leviticus 22:29

Under the Law of Moses when people wanted to give thanks to God, it meant more than mere words.  People sacrificed a clean animal of thanksgiving to the LORD, a peace offering they and others were partakers of.  It was a sacrifice freely offered, not with an expectation to receive, but out of thanksgiving for all God had already said, had given and performed.  A sacrifice of thanksgiving could be costly monetarily but it was a joy to give to God in light of God's generosity and goodness to supply the gift and all else in the first place.

Freedom in giving thanks to God springs from faith in God and His worthiness.  It is fitting a day such as Thanksgiving in the United States has been established in a nation under God.  It is even more appropriate every day be filled with thanksgiving to God for every person redeemed by grace through faith, given eternal life and everything that pertains to life and godliness.  David sang in Psalm 69:30-31, "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. ³¹ This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull, which has horns and hooves."  God does not appreciate a gift based upon the resale value but by the willing soul who thanks, loves and trusts Him.

Songs like Psalm 100:1-5 even in dreary times have the power to turn our faces to the LORD with thanksgiving like a flower leans toward the light of the sun:  "Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! ² Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. ³ Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. ⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. ⁵ For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."  The LORD has been good to us, He is good and will ever be.  God does not demand our thanks, but He deserves our undying thanksgiving now and forever.