Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel calls to mind God's active and intentional provision for them. Deuteronomy three recounts the mighty victory He gave Israel over the king of Bashan, and the way that God provided for his people a land.
This is part four of a message titled, Your Eyes Have Seen All That the Lord Has Done. It was first preached on april twenty eighth, twenty twenty four. And this is wilderness, okay? And when you think of wilderness, don't think of green trees and stuff like that. Think of what?
Desert. Rocks, think of brown, nothing but brown.
Okay. It's it. Rocks and sand. And the people were going through there and they were starting to complain. Yeah.
You've brought us out to kill us. We shouldn't have followed you. We're thirsty. We're dying of thirst. Remember, God had just brought them through the Red Sea, right?
Okay, so let's not forget that. And so Moses and Aaron go before the Lord and they. Fall down before God and they worship Him and they ask Him, what are we going to do with these people? And the Lord says to Moses, Tell the rock to to yield its water.
Now, that makes about as much sense as God telling Noah to build an ark. Right. He says to Moses, Tell the rock to yield its water.
Now, we all know. We all know rocks don't Do water.
Okay. But God is God. But God is God. Till the rock to yield its water.
So Moses goes back, and it's very interesting. He goes back. to the people. And he calls them a bunch of rebels. And in anger, He smacks the rock twice.
And water comes from the rock. and the people drink. And that's where the Lord said, because you did not uphold me as holy before the eyes of the people.
Okay. What's going on here? First of all, there is a high degree of responsibility for those who would be leaders. This is a serious business. Moses reacted with hostility.
In God's name. That's what happens in Numbers chapter 20, verse 10. He reacts. with hostility. in God's name.
And because of that, God promised him and Aaron. That they would not take the people into the promised land. But the issue was not. What was the issue? Let's make sure that we know what it is.
Numbers 20:12. You did not uphold me as holy before the eyes of the people. That's the point. That's the point. God says, These are my people.
I am leading them. I will provide for them. And instead you got angry, you called them rebels, you smacked the rock. I gave you the water, but you did not uphold me as holy before the eyes of the people. I can't let you take him into the promised land.
It's sad, isn't it? But we ought to be sobered by that. Because God is holy and sovereign. We need to make sure that we're not taking his name in vain. Mm-hmm.
That we don't react in hostility. in his name. Even when we are surrounded by a bunch of rebels. A point we can learn from this is this, seeking God, seeking God, and this is what Moses is doing here, seeking God does not entitle you to his endorsement of your attitude or your ambition. Seeking God does not entitle you to His endorsement of your attitude or ambition.
You have to remember in our humanness and in our fallenness, there is always that propensity to try to bring ourselves up onto the throne.
Okay, we can't do that. Can't do them. God's denial, here's a second point to learn from this: God's denial works to rescue you from the illusion of control. His denial works to rescue you from the illusion of control. You are not in control.
You cannot be.
So, in conclusion, last point today: when God denies your request, probably every one of us can think of a time, there was a rick where we pleaded before.
Some of you may still be pleading before God with a specific request. Lord, please let me and you fill in the blank. When God denies your request. What do we learn from this? Because God denied Moses' request.
He said, enough out of you. Don't bring this up to me again. I like the personal tone to that, right?
Now stop and think. Stop and think for a minute when God denies your request. What kind of God would he be if he gave you everything you wanted? Whether what you wanted was good or not, right? We think everything we want is good, right?
But what kind of God would he be if he gave us if he gave you everything you wanted? Can anybody give testimony today to thanking God for not giving you something you earnestly pleaded him for? I mean, I can. Here's a further question. What would you be like if God gave you everything you asked for?
You know the answer to that, right? Spoiled rotten brat. Just a little parenting tip in there. When God denies your request, here's the last final few points here: when God denies your request. It is for your good and his glory.
It is for our good and his glory because God's denial of Moses' request wasn't just for Moses' good, it was for the good of the people of Israel. Because they were eyewitnesses to his hostility in God's name. When it says his glory, that's the whole point. What other people see and what they think about God. because of what I've done or what I've said.
So when God denies your request, it is for your good, for our good, and for his glory. Point number two, when God denies your request, he is more interested in your character than your comfort. He's more interested in your character than your comfort. We were We were predestined to be what? Conformed to the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.
That's what God is doing in your life. And sometimes that process, listen to me, sometimes that process is uncomfortable. Necessarily. Third point, when God denies your request. Third point, sometimes failure is a better teacher than realized ambition.
Sometimes failure is a better teacher than realized ambition.
Something we can learn from. Fourth point, when God denies your request, His strength is magnified through your weaknesses. His strength is magnified through your weakness. In another case, for this case for example, his faithfulness is magnified in contrast to my fickleness or Moses' fickleness. Moses was fickle in this situation.
His faithfulness is magnified. His strength is magnified through your weakness. Lastly, today. When God denies your request, that should compel you. to greater trust.
His request was your idea. Lord, I really think, I think you would be so glorified by. Me being able to do this. And God says no. It should compel you to greater trust.
And we all as a collective group of recovering control addicts, right? We're saying, yeah, I need to learn this. Because that's what we are in Christ. We were born with a problem of self-preeminence, and sometimes God leads us into situations like this and will deny a request, one that we ask Him repeatedly, but He will deny it. for these reasons, among many.
But why? Why, why will he deny? As we've pointed out in these points, it is because he is good. It is because he loves us. Meditate on that.
Yeah. Would you stand with me, please? Father, it is our joy to have opened your word. To consider your self-disclosure to us. afresh.
Father, may your word be a mirror to our hearts. But may it also be a light of joy and gladness to us. as we see you for who you are. We thank you for your Transforming truth. And you're liberating love.
May we learn from this this morning, Father. Work in our hearts, I pray. You know every one of us intimately. Perfectly, absolutely. And we confess, Father, that it is very easy for us.
To try to climb back on the throne of our lives. Rescue us from that, Father. Through the work of your Holy Spirit. and the truth of your word. Because of the redeeming grace through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We thank you for who you are, for what you have done. Wait for what you will do. pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You've been listening to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem.
To hear this message and others, check out www.delightandgrace.com. To discover how to live by grace, tune in with us on weekdays at 10 a.m.
