Walk the Talk

I decide I am going to run a Marathon in 6 months.

The Date is set I know when it is

Week 1. I wake up and I decide I am going to start running

First day goes great but the second day I am sore so i decide to skip

Third day I decide to rest

Fourth day I just don’t feel like it

Don’t worry I keep talking about how I am going to run a Marathon

Day after day slowly stop training and the day creeps closer and closer

I am planning on this thing and then the Day of the Marathon comes...

Our Actions matter Today we will pick up with the actions of the Israelites

Exodus 17:1–3 NIV

1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” 3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

Israel’s Foolishness

Alright let’s break this down. Yet again we find the Israelites coming to Moses in frustration.

What I think is interesting is that this time that Moses immediately challenges them.

They are putting God to the Test, as if they hadn’t already had enough proof.

Plagues, The pillar of fire and Smoke, the Red Sea, and most recently the Mana and Quail

Yet the Israelites just see their hardship and they blame Moses that he is just leading them out to die.

God has shown himself, but the difficulties do keep coming

It is a reminder that just because we are following God doesn’t mean everything is going to be perfect

Instead it is a reminder that hardship can reveal our belief in how we respond to it.

The Israelites had a choice to trust and know that God would provide or to challenge

Exodus 17:4–6 NIV

4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

God’s Graceful Provision

Can you imagine how you would respond in this situation?

A parent with a child and dinner

Every day you provide a dinner for your kids and then finally one night life happens and you are late getting dinner on the table.

Kid comes into the kitchen and dramatically asks where dinner is I am starving

What is the response of the parent most of the time.

God Shows his Grace he gives Moses instruction and the actions follow through

God Actions stay consistent despite the actions of the Israelites

For the last couple of weeks it has felt like a wash rinse repeat when it comes to the stories of Exodus and the Israelites.

Does this pattern really change though. Or what happens in the future lets find out.

Matthew 21:23–27 NIV

23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Legitimacy of Leadership

The Pharisees trying to set a trap for Jesus

Jesus flips it on them

If they accept JOhn is from God the are admitting they denied God’s command

If they reject John the baptist they would face the crowd and the dissatisfaction of the people

All their actions were about maintaining power

Jesus knew this and flips it on them. Like the Israelites before them the do not want to be honest about their position and what their real complaint was or is

The real problem lies in John’s Message

Submission and Repentance

John the baptist called people to repent.

Repent that is an interesting word in today’s church because for many of us it might be something we fundamentally have started to misunderstand

Repent means to rethink or an about face!

Marching band and an about face

John called his people to first repent, believe and then purify

Matthew 3:1–10 NIV

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” 4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

did you hear those last three verses

Matthew 3:8–10 NIV

8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Is it okay to say I can just follow God some of the time?