The Desert Song | Remembering What's Important

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Sign up at harvest.org. out of movies, but you can't memorize John 3 16. Give me a break. You can do it. One of the great tools to memorization is repetition. If we hear something over and over, we can't help but remember. We didn't intend to memorize the words to that TV theme or that corny commercial, but they're stuck in our heads.

Why? Repetition. The real question is, what do we let our minds hear over and over? But the fact that you're listening now is a great step forward. And today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie brings some scriptural truth worth remembering. Let's grab our Bibles and turn to the book of Exodus.

And the title of my message is The Desert Song. We're back in our series that we're calling Water, Fire, Stone. So we're getting to the stone part.

Why do we call it that? It's water because remember little baby Moses was put in his little ark, if you will. His little basket floated down the Nile River, brought into the court of Pharaoh.

That's the water part. And there's a fire. God called Moses at the burning bush.

And then there was a stone. God spoke to Moses in the 10 commandments written by the finger of God in tablets of stone. So we're going to talk about what happened to the Israelites as they were in the desert. Look at verse three of chapter 16 of Exodus. They say, if only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt. And then we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. And yet you brought us into this wilderness to starve us to death.

What? This is one month after they were delivered from Egypt, which they had been praying about forever. This is one month after the Red Sea had been parted and their enemies are drowned.

And they're basically saying, oh great, you just brought us out here to die. Man, we remember how awesome it was back in Egypt. We just had pots filled with meat, meat everywhere and bread. Oh, so much bread. Now the Lord's going to provide them with something to eat called manna.

Let's read about it. Exodus 16 verse 11. Then the Lord said to Moses, I've heard Israel's complaints. Now tell them in the evening you will have meat to eat and in the morning you'll have bread, in fact all the bread you want.

Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. That evening vast numbers of quail fell in and covered the camp. The next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew.

When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites are puzzled when they saw it. What is it, they asked each other.

They had no idea what it was. It was bread from heaven. In fact the Bible describes it as angel's food.

Not angel's food cake but the food of angels. But I want you to think of manna sort of like scripture for a moment. Jesus said I am the bread of life.

The psalmist said in Job 23, I have esteemed the words of my mouth more than my daily bread. So here's a few thoughts about manna. You had to gather the manna daily verse four tells us that.

Every day you had to gather the manna. You couldn't keep it overnight, it would rot. I read the other day about some guy who's had a burger he bought at McDonald's 20 years ago. Why would you save a burger for 20 years? Now I may have a few floating around in vehicles I don't know that are long gone but there might be an old burrito or something in there but he says and he took a photograph of it.

It did look pretty similar I have to admit though. I would never eat that burger. But manna you couldn't keep it overnight.

It would actually begin to rot. And in the same way you need to start every day with the word of God. Don't live off yesterday's blessings. The Bible says his mercies are new every morning so every day just open up the word of God and say Lord I need you to speak to me through this book. I need to hear your voice. What did Jesus say?

He said lo in the volume of the book I have come. Number two they were to gather as much manna as they needed according to verse 16. Gather as much as they needed. So one may need more than another. Well you gotta get what you need.

There it is. And in the same way everything you need to know about God is found in the pages of scripture. Everything you need to know about life is found there as well. The Holy Spirit will empower you to do all this God has called you to do so receive it. But another thing is they had to prepare the manna. You didn't just eat this manna. You did things with it. They probably all had Moses' cookbook 101 ways to eat manna.

It's out of print now. You know you had all the recipes manna meatloaf, manna burgers, manna tacos, the manna splits, manna cotti, everything. It was all there in the cookbook right. They even had manna jokes. Yo manna so fat. No not really.

I don't think there were manna jokes. You know in the same way to enjoy food you need to prepare it. Nothing is as good as freshly prepared food right. Now I'm not much of a chef. If you follow me on social media sometimes on Sunday mornings I film scrambled eggs. I'm making them. It's just eggs, a little shredded cheese, and some chopped smoky sausages.

And I'll get more likes from those posts than things we produce in our video department. And little sermonettes I give that people I love to watch the eggs. I don't know. I don't know what's going on. That's pretty much my entire repertoire. I had my grandkids over the other day. I said okay you can have scrambled eggs, toast, or sliced apple, or sliced cheese. Notice the variation there.

Not a lot of options. But my wife you know she'll go to the kitchen and sometimes she doesn't have everything that she needs. But she just takes all the ingredients and makes something fantastic.

And that's the way it was with manna. You need to prepare it. In the same way with the Word of God you need to read it.

But then you must internalize it. You know it's interesting in the book of Revelation a promise is made to the person who reads this book. It says if you read this book it's speaking of revelation but I think it applies to the Bible in general. It says whoever hears this word and keeps it.

It says read this word and you keep it. A blessing is promised to the person who both reads, hears, and keeps the Word. So it's not enough to just read the Bible. You have to hear the Bible. And by hear I mean as Jesus would say he that has ears to hear let him listen. So listen. You know you can read a whole chapter without comprehension.

Am I right? Just reading and I read a whole chapter. What did it say? I don't know. But I read it.

Can I go to social media now? No no. Read it. Now hear it. Think about it.

Ponder it. Internalize it. Memorize it. Oh I'm not good at memorizing. Yes you are.

Yes you are. Your brain is filled with all kinds of trivia. Your favorite song lyrics. Lines out of movies.

Other things you have an interest in. Scores from games that have long come and gone but you remember. Who was in the world series you know 15 years ago but you can't memorize John 3 16.

Give me a break. You can do it. Another thing is meditate on the Word. Now we hear the word meditate. We think of meditation in the eastern form. But in eastern meditation one tries to empty their mind. In biblical meditation one fills their mind with the Word of God.

There's a big difference. Fill it with the Word of God. Someone says of the wise man in this book he meditates day and night. Point number four. The manna was not appreciated by everyone.

The manna was not appreciated by everyone. Now I have to go to another passage that's from the same narrative but a different book of the Bible. The book of Numbers. Here's what happened.

It says Numbers 11 4 to 6. Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt and the people of Israel also began to complain. Notice the connection. First the foreign rabble called the mixed multitude in the King James translation started to complain and then the Israelites began to complain. Oh we want some meat they said. We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt.

We had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, garlic, and onions we wanted. But now our appetites are gone and all we ever see is this manna. Who were these people this foreign rabble this mixed multitude. It appears they were not believers that joined the Israelites as they left Egypt. They were probably impressed with the wonder working God of Israel and they too wanted to escape. But though they left Egypt apparently Egypt never left them. And they were a bad influence on God's people. And listen to what they craved. They said man we remember our old diet leeks, onions, garlic. Man their breath must have stunk seriously. That's what you miss.

But here's an interesting thing. This foreign rabble hated the manna. We hate it.

Here it is. It's bread from heaven, sent from God. We hate that manna. We don't want that manna in our life. In the same way a non-believer does not get why the believer loves scripture. Here's a real test of your spiritual life. Listen. Do you look forward to Bible study?

One person does. Look forward to it. Oh I can hardly wait. I love it when we open the Bible. Or do you dread it? Is this going to be long?

Can we get it over with? That's an indication of where you're at spiritually. A hungry believer is a healthy believer.

If you go to see the doctor he'll ask you how's your appetite. So if you're strong spiritually, if you're healthy spiritually you'll constantly be hungry for more of the word of God. And if you're an unhealthy or a sick believer you won't. So these people were being influenced by these ungodly people. This is why Paul warns us. Don't be unequally yoked together with non-believers. For what fellowship does light have with darkness or righteousness with unrighteousness or Christ with the devil?

More modern translation puts it this way. Don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That's not partnership.

That's war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands?

Good questions. So these people were a bad influence on the believers. Think about who your influences are. You show me your friends I'll show you your future. And if you hang around people that do not believe as you believe as a Christian they can influence you and bring you down.

So be very careful. That's what the mixed multitude or this rabble did with Israel. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Hearing about listeners who find Jesus because of the ministry of harvest is so encouraging. Pastor Greg, about 22 years ago the Lord used one of your sermons to bring me to Jesus. Thank you for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Keep up the good fight of faith. Has Pastor Greg heard from you? If not, why not drop him an email and tell your story? Send it to Greg at harvest dot org.

Do it today while you're thinking about it. Again that's Greg at harvest dot org. Well we're seeing how God supernaturally provided for the Israelites in the desert as Pastor Greg continues our series from the life of Moses called Water, Fire, Stone.

Let's continue. Now they're thirsty. They've had their meat and they've had their manna.

Now they want something to drink. Exodus 17 verse 1. At the Lord's command the whole community of Israel let the wilderness of sin and move from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim but there was no water there for the people to drink. So once more the people complained against Moses. Give us water to drink they demanded.

Quiet Moses replied. Why are you complaining against me? Why are you testing the Lord? But tormented by thirst they continued to argue with Moses. Why did you bring this out of Egypt?

Are you trying to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? Look if you have a need bring it to God. There's nothing wrong with praying about whatever it is you're in need of.

The Bible even says in James 4-3 you have not because you ask not. So pray about it but don't complain about it and don't falsely accuse God if he hasn't come through as quickly as you want him to. I think it's a really good idea to write down the things the Lord has done for you. You know my wife keeps a little diary and she'll write down how prayers are answered.

She said to me the other day you know what Greg one year ago do you know what we were dealing with? Oh yes I'd forgotten actually he said we're dealing with this and we prayed and look what the Lord did it's so true. It's good to reflect on those things and they weren't reflecting on all that God had done for them.

I want you to think about it. Look at what God had done. He spared them from slavery. He didn't allow the plagues to come upon them. He parted the Red Sea.

He destroyed the Egyptian army. He led them step by step to the wilderness with a fire by night and a cloud by day the best GPS you've ever seen. He fed them with manna and they complained. Now I want you to think about what God has done for you because God's done a lot for you already. First of all he saved you from hell.

That's the biggest thing of all. He brought you out of darkness into his light. He forgave you of all of your sin. He filled you with the Holy Spirit. He's provided for you. He has guided you. He has protected you. For many he's healed you. How many of you have ever experienced a physical healing from God? Raise your hand up.

See that's almost everyone. God did that for you. Maybe he did a miracle in your life.

How many of you believe you've seen a miracle in your life? Raise your hand up. Look at that. Remember that. Remember that the next time when things aren't making sense. Remember that the next time when you are tempted to say oh God has abandoned me.

No he hasn't. He was with you yesterday. He's with you today. He'll be there for you tomorrow because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. Philippians 1 6 says being confident of this he who has begun a good work in you will complete it under the day of Jesus Christ or literally carry it to completion.

Are you in a wilderness or a desert right now? Do you feel like God has forgotten about you? Do you feel as though he has forsaken you?

Well he hasn't because two thousand years ago at the cross Jesus was forsaken so you might be forgiven. One last movement in this story. I'll just share it with you. We won't read the verses but they want water so the Lord says go over to that rock.

Strike it with your staff. You don't usually find water in a rock but you do when God wants you to. So Moses struck the rock with his staff and broke open and all of this water just came gushing out torrents of fresh water and they're drinking taking it all in.

Why does that matter to us? Because in first Corinthians chapter 10 Paul talks about all that Israel went through. He said they went through these things as an example for all of us and then he said and the rock that was broken was Christ. So that broken rock was a symbol of Jesus Christ being crucified on the cross. His body was broken so I could be forgiven be forgiven of all of my sin. Isaiah 53 5 says he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities.

The punishment that brought us peace was on him by his wounds we are healed. So are you are you down? Are you hurting?

You feel alone and isolated? Think of all that Jesus did for you so you could come into a relationship with him. And I want to ask in closing have you asked Jesus Christ to be your own Savior and Lord? We're all born as sinners. We're all born separated from God. We're all born in need of a Savior and Jesus came to this earth and was born in that manger and died on a cross for us was crushed for our sins and then he rose again from the dead and he stands at the door of our life and he knocks and he says if we'll hear his voice and open the door he'll come in. Have you asked Jesus to come into your life yet? You can't live off the faith of your parents. You can't live off the faith of your husband or wife or someone else. You need your own relationship with God and Jesus is ready to come into your life and forgive you of all of your sin and give you the hope that you so desperately want and until you believe in him you're going to walk around in life with that big hole in your heart and that ever-present guilt and that fear of death because you're not sure if you'll make it to heaven. You can be sure right now by putting your faith in Jesus Christ and in a moment we're going to pray. Now I'm going to extend an invitation for you to believe in Jesus but there might be others that have sort of fallen away.

Not sort of. You have fallen away. You're like the Israelites here. You've doubted God. You've walked away from God. You've been looking back and some of you have started to go back and you're doing the stuff you used to do before you were a Christian and it's not so much fun anymore is it?

You want to know why? Because you know better now. See before when you were a non-Christian you didn't know better. You just thought well this is life. It sucks.

That's it. But then you believed in Jesus and you tasted of his forgiveness. You knew what it was to wake up in the morning with no guilt with Christ in your life but now you've gone back into those old things again and you'll never find the enjoyment you used to find in them. You'll never find the pleasure you used to find in them because you know what is true and some of you have started to do that. You've been looking back.

You've been going back. It's time to hang a u-turn and make a recommitment to Christ. So I'm going to give you an opportunity to do that as we all pray together okay. Let's pray. Everyone bow their head with me if you would. Now father speak to the heart of every person here.

Every person watching wherever they are. If they don't know Jesus we pray that your Holy Spirit will convict them and convince them of their need for you and help them to come to you and believe. In Jesus name I pray.

Amen. Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer and if you'd like to do just that and make a change in your relationship with the Lord Pastor Greg will help you do that in just a moment before today's edition of A New Beginning concludes. Well Pastor Greg the new movie Johnny Cash the Redemption of an American Icon is such an engaging film.

Yes. It highlights the spiritual journey of the man in black but it does so from a number of different perspectives. You hear many people reflect on Johnny's unique story.

Tell us about that. Well when you order your copy of Johnny Cash or Redemption of an American Icon on DVD along with the streaming code so you can download it to your computer your phone or your tablet you're going to see that a number of very well-known people talk about their relationship with Johnny Cash. One man in particular who actually narrates the film and was very close to Johnny in fact he toured as a member of Johnny's band is Marty Stewart. Marty tells us now a story of the last time he was with Johnny Cash and what happened. Give a listen. I went over to his house and I was about to go on the road and I just wanted to go check in on him hug his neck tell him I love him and I had recorded a song of his called The Walls of a Prison that I wanted to play for him and so I played it for him and I sat at his feet he put his hand on me he said excellent son I said you got it I knew he didn't want to hang out too long so we talked a minute and before I left the room he says is there anything in this room you want I said just your love he said you got that and as I was about to leave he was sitting in his wheelchair with his back to the window and the late afternoon light was coming in and I had my camera all in my bag and I said JR let me take your picture and there was like four frames and the first three he just kind of looked like this I said JR he reared up and he looked like an old president and when I got the negatives back on there's the picture before I left the room I said how's your spirit he said good I said you got plenty of rope left he said I got plenty of rope I said all right I'll be home in 10 days whatever it was I didn't think it would come while I was gone on that trip but it did. Country music singer Marty Stewart from the movie Johnny Cash the redemption of an American icon you know the film could focus on all of Johnny's hit records or the massive crowds that came to see him it could focus on his TV shows or recording an album at Folsom Prison but instead it focuses on Johnny himself who grew up poor faced unbelievable heartache but always in a home with a deep resounding faith in the Lord and that's what pulled him through the tough scrapes and failings of his later years. Now Pastor Greg refers to this as an evangelistic documentary and it's so inspiring it's great it's great encouragement for the rest of us who've had some failings we want to send you a copy of Johnny Cash the redemption of an American icon on DVD along with a free streaming code so you can watch it on your phone or tablet or TV we'll send it to say thank you for your generous support of these daily radio studies so why not contact us today call 1-800-821-3300 call anytime 1-800-821-3300 or write a new beginning box 4000 Riverside California 92514 or go online to harvest.org. Well Pastor Greg today you wrapped up your message by talking about eternity yeah how can someone listening know that they're going to heaven well that's a great question and I guess let me take it a step further I know that is the most important question you can ask how can a person know they're going to heaven let me say at the outset I believe I'm going to heaven in fact I'll take it a step further I know I'm going to heaven is it Greg isn't that kind of arrogant not really because I know this because God has made a promise to me and I've believed that promise the Bible says we write these things to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life I've believed on the name of the Son of God thus I know I'll go to heaven when I die here's my question to you do you believe on the name of the Son of God is there any more important issue than that I can't think of one so I'd like to lead you in a simple prayer and this is a prayer where you will be asking Jesus to forgive you of your sin and you'll be asking him to be your own savior friend Lord it's a prayer only you can pray pray these words if you would Lord Jesus I know I am a sinner but I know that you are the savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose from the dead Jesus come into my life I want to believe in you I want to follow you I want this relationship with you thank you for dying on the cross for my sin and rising again from the dead and I thank you that you've heard this prayer and I believe you've come into my life in Jesus name I pray amen I want to help you grow in your faith I want to help you grow spiritually so I have a free gift for you it's called the new believers growth packet what's in it no not a bag of seeds to plant in your backyard I guess it's sort of a form of a bag of seeds because I want to sow some spiritual seed in your life to help you develop as a follower of Christ so I'm going to send you a copy of the new testament in the new living translation but it's a special edition it's called the new believers bible and it's filled with notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this new commitment or recommitment you've made to Christ and there's some other materials in the new believers packet as well so order your copy today and I'm so glad I had this privilege today to lead you in that prayer god bless you you've made the right decision the decision to follow Jesus Christ yeah and here's how to get that new believers packet just call us at 1-800-821-3300 we can take your call anytime 24 7 again that's 1-800-821-3300 or write a new beginning box 4000 riverside california 92514 or just go online to harvest.org and click know god well next time we examine god's top 10 pastor greg takes us to exodus chapter 20 for a practical look at the 10 commandments and how they can help us live a successful Christian life today join us here on a new beginning with pastor and bible teacher greg lorry hey everybody thanks for listening to a new beginning this is a podcast made possible by harvest partners so for more content that can help you know god and equip you to make him known to others or to learn more about how you can become a harvest partner just go to harvest.org