Sermon Tone Analysis

The names of God are not only associated with his person(who he is) but often with his power(what he does) too!

It’s in this passage of scripture we are going to see him as Jehova-Rophe: The Lord our Healer!

Did you know we live in a broken world?

A world thats hurting.

It actually groans( hurts) according to Romans 8

Maybe you’ve experienced some of this brokenness?

Broken relationships?

Broken systems ?

Broken trust?

Did you know that despite all of this worlds brokenness we can find healing!

It is in this wonderful name of God and the surrounding story we can find our how!

Our God is the healer!

He can fix that problem

He can fix that pain

He can heal YOU!

He’s still in the healing business!

Look what Jesus had to say about it!

Luke 4:17-18 “17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias.

And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,”

Let’s look at this story and find our how WE can experience the Lord’s healing in our lives!

These things were written to help us!

1 Cor 10:11 “11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Israels experience our exhortation

We must first understand some of the context here.

When we find the children of Israel in this story they are only three days removed from slavery.

God has done a BIG miracle and heard/delivered these people.

He has also destroyed the army and government of the nation that oppressed them.

You see the Lord’s delivery goes before his healing!

God has done miracles.

They’ve literally seen him move in crazy ways!

Exodus 14:27-31 “27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

31 And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.”

It’s after the amazing delivery that Israel has a worship service.

They shout, praise, and pray to God for what he just did!

It is directly after this that find our story.

They have followed God for three days into the desert and they run into a problem.

They have no water.

They have been delivered by God, following God yet they lack this one vital thing.

They need water!

It’s on day three that they seem to find a place, an oasis!

They approach the water and it’s cold, looks refreshing, the trees around it probably offering some welcomed shade.

They scoop out a cup of this saving water and sip…IT’S TERRIBLE.

It tastes bitter.

It’s so sour it’ll make a lemon pucker.

They can’t drink it.

And inn just one moment all the miracles that God did “went out the window.”

They started to complain, grumble, and murmur.

They have forgotten that God has just done some crazy miracles, some of which involved water.

Forgetfulness always leads to faithlessness and that finishes in forsaking God.

They start complaining to Moses about the problem.

Moses instead of complaining about the problem begins to pray about it and God hears!

God shows Moses a certain tree and has him throw that tree into the waters and they’ll be sweet.

God had a plan to make their bitterness into blessedness!

Moses does this and the waters become sweet!

God later reveals to them that its a test.

He then reveals an awesome title that he possesses God calls him self Jehovah-Rophe(The Lord who heals).

A people with problems

They were a people with problems even though they were doing exactly what God wanted from them!

Following God does not guarantee no problems rather is guarantees help within the problems!

1 Cor 10:13 “13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

We’ve got a God that will help is in the problems!

It was into these problems that they disobeyed.

They started to complain.

They grumbled and God does not like it!

See because we when we complain we aren’t complaining about the problem we’re complaining about the provider!

Exodus 16:8 “8 And Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we?

your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.”

1 Cor 10:10 “10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”

Don’t complain about the problem rather pray!

Phil 2:14 “14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:”

Phil 4:6 “6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

They also allows their problem to make them forget God and what he had done!

Psalm 106:7 “7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; But provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.”

Forgetfulness hurts faith

Don’t let the pain, problem, or issue distract for the Lord and power.

We must learn to talk to God not talk about him!

See Moses on the other hand was a praying person

Moses cried out to God! God answered!

God provided!

1 Peter 5:7 “7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

In the problem run to God for help!

1 John 5:15 “15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

It was after Moses asked God that they found

God had a perfect provision!

God had provision for those he freed!

He turned the waters sweet!

God provided!

The Lord will take care of those who follow him!

Exodus 15:26 “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.”

He supplies those he saves!

Romans 8:32 “32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

Those who are saved can trust him!

He provided by way of a tree!

The water to save their life came from the tree that God provided.

Amazingly what we need to save our lives and turn whats bitter sweet for us occurred on a tree too!

1 Peter 2:24 “24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

See you have problems introduce them to Jesus and he can fix them!