faith – Page 9 – Tawa Baptist

May 15, 2016May 16, 2016 Tawa Baptist

Pray

Scripture: 1^st Kings 17:8-24

Title: Pray

Structure:

Introduction
Prayer is listening in faith
Prayer is asking in hope
Prayer is confessing in truth
Conclusion

Introduction:

Today is the first of three Sundays when we focus on the work of Tranzsend and our NZ Baptist missionaries serving overseas

The framework for the three weeks of the campaign is…

Week 1 – Pray (Inoi)
Week 2 – Shine (Tiaho), and
Week 3 – Thank (Mihi)

The Scripture story Tranzsend suggest for, this, the first week of the appeal is…

1^stKings chapters 17 & 18 – which focuses on the story of Elijah and the drought in Israel

Elijah was one of the great prophets of the Old Testament

He lived at the time when Ahab was king of Israel
Ahab was the worst king in the entire history of the nation
Ahab married Jezebel and together they committed all sorts of evil
In particular Ahab encouraged the Hebrew people to turn away from the one true living God, by building a temple for Baal worship

In the ancient world Baal was thought by some to be the god of fertility and rain

So pagans who wanted a good harvest or rain to water their crops would offer sacrifices to Baal in order to appease him and find favour with him
Baal worshippers did all sorts of cruel things including child sacrifice

God was not happy with this and wanted to show the people that Baal worship was a lie, so the Lord sent Elijah to tell king Ahab there would be no rain for a few years

By stopping the rain God intended to show the people Baal was false
Of course, without any rain, the crops failed and there was a terrible famine throughout the region

Please turn with me to 1^st Kings 17, verse 8 – page 357 toward the front of your pew Bibles

At this point in the story the drought & famine have been in progress for some time and people are really feeling the pinch
From 1^st Kings, chapter 17, verse 8 we read…

⁸Then the Lord said to Elijah, ⁹“Now go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay there. I have commanded a widow who lives there to feed you.” ¹⁰So Elijah went to Zarephath, and as he came to the town gate, he saw a widow gathering firewood. “Please bring me a drink of water,” he said to her. ¹¹And as she was going to get it, he called out, “And please bring me some bread, too.”

¹²She answered, “By the living Lord your God I swear that I don’t have any bread. All I have is a handful of flour in a bowl and a bit of olive oil in a jar. I came here to gather some firewood to take back home and prepare what little I have for my son and me. That will be our last meal, and then we will starve to death.”

¹³“Don’t worry,” Elijah said to her. “Go on and prepare your meal. But first make a small loaf from what you have and bring it to me, and then prepare the rest for you and your son. ¹⁴For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The bowl will not run out of flour or the jar run out of oil before the day that I, the Lord, send rain.’”

¹⁵The widow went and did as Elijah had told her, and all of them had enough food for many days. ¹⁶As the Lord had promised through Elijah, the bowl did not run out of flour nor did the jar run out of oil.

¹⁷Some time later the widow’s son got sick; he got worse and worse, and finally he died. ¹⁸She said to Elijah, “Man of God, why did you do this to me? Did you come here to remind God of my sins and so cause my son’s death?”

¹⁹“Give the boy to me,” Elijah said. He took the boy from her arms, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying, and laid him on the bed. ²⁰Then he prayed aloud, “O Lord my God, why have you done such a terrible thing to this widow? She has been kind enough to take care of me, and now you kill her son!” ²¹Then Elijah stretched himself out on the boy three times and prayed, “O Lord my God, restore this child to life!” ²²The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer; the child started breathing again and revived.

²³Elijah took the boy back downstairs to his mother and said to her, “Look, your son is alive!”

²⁴She answered, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the Lord really speaks through you!”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us

In this passage we see how prayer is listening in faith

Asking in hope, and
Confessing in truth

Prayer is listening in faith:

First let’s consider prayer as listening in faith

Listening is about paying attention
Being aware of what’s going on around you
Taking heed of what God is saying and doing, so that we can respond in obedience to God – so we can work in harmony with Him

The story is told of a man who had lost his job and was unemployed [1]

Not being able to find work he was facing a personal famine of sorts

One cold winter’s night as he was driving home he noticed an old lady stranded on the side of the road – he could see she had a flat tyre and needed help

So he pulled over in his Holden Belmont, parked behind her Mercedes Benz and got out

Even with the smile on his face the woman felt anxious and vulnerable

It was a quiet road and no one had been past in the last hour
The man looked a bit rough – he was missing a tooth and he hadn’t shaved in a few days

He could see the woman was cold and frightened, so he tried to make her feel more comfortable…

“I’m here to help you. You look freezing. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Sam.”
The woman decided to trust Sam – she sat in her car and popped the boot open, so he could get the spare tyre out

Sam soon had the tyre changed

Feeling relieved the lady offered to pay him
But Sam just smiled and said, “You don’t owe me a thing. This is what it means to be human – to help people”

Humbled by Sam’s kindness she thanked him, got back in her car & drove away

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small café
Feeling hungry she went in for a coffee and a bite to eat

The waitress had a sweet smile even after being on her feet all day and being 8 months pregnant

She went out of her way for the old lady, moving the heater closer for her to sit beside

As the old lady drank her coffee she remembered Sam’s kindness to her

She wanted to help someone too
Not wanting to embarrass the waitress the old lady wrote a note on a paper serviette, “Someone once helped me out the way I’m helping you.”
When the waitress returned to the table the old lady had left her a $100

Later that night when the waitress got home from work and climbed into bed, she thought about the money and what the lady had written

How could she have known how much she and her husband needed it?
With the baby due next month it was going to be hard
She knew how worried her husband was since he had lost his job
As he lay sleeping beside her she kissed him softly and whispered…
“It’s going to be okay. I love you Sam.”

Prayer is listening in faith

Our reading from 1^st Kings earlier began with Elijah listening to God in faith

God told Elijah to go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay with a widow there
I’m not sure exactly how Elijah heard God but I’m pretty sure it would have taken a fair bit of faith for him do what God said

Zarephath was not part of Israel

This means Elijah had to leave his home country
In a very real way this was cross-cultural mission – representing God in a culture which was not his own

The other thing about Zarephath is that it was near where Jezebel came from

Jezebel, the queen married to Ahab, was Elijah’s nemesis
God was sending Elijah into enemy territory – but Elijah listened in faith and obeyed God

Our Tranzsend missionaries serve God overseas in a cross-cultural context

And like Elijah they are often called to live with and amongst people like the widow of Zarephath
People who are poor and vulnerable and barely scrapping to get by

Just as Elijah listened in faith to God, so too the widow of Zarephath listened in faith to Elijah

When Elijah asked for bread and water she said…
“All I have is a handful of flour and a drop of olive oil… That will be our last meal and then we will starve to death”
But Elijah said to her…
“Don’t worry… The bowl will not run out of flour or the jar run out of oil before the day that the Lord sends rain.”

Despite the fact she and her son faced starvation, the widow listened in faith and prepared some bread for Elijah

That’s some faith – sharing your last meal with a complete stranger
But this act of faith saved the woman
She discovered the flour and oil did not run out and there was always enough for the three of them

Tranzsend call their campaign Self Denial

The implication being that we deny ourselves something in order to identify with the poor and support the work of overseas mission
We appreciate that everyone is in a different position financially
Some people are able to give more than others – that’s okay
From a human perspective the amount you give does matter
But from God’s perspective the faith and love with which it is given matters more

People should decide how much to give after listening to God in faith

So I encourage you to try and hear God on this
Is there something you could give up (like a daily cup of coffee or some other treat) in order to put the money toward the Self Denial appeal
Or do you have a stash of loose coins sitting in your car that you could clear out to give to Tranzsend at the end of the month
Or is God saying, “Be more generous than that. Give a day’s pay”

I’m not here to tell you how much to give – that’s between you and God

What I can say is that when we give as God directs, like the widow of Zarephath, we find that our needs are met

Prayer is listening in faith, and prayer is asking in hope

Prayer is asking in hope:

Things seemed to be going along okay for the widow and her son until sometime later the boy fell ill

He got worse and worse until finally he died

I can only imagine how hard it would be to lose a child

But for this poor widow it was worse
She had already lost her husband
And her only son was her whole life – her present and her future

At this point the widow says to Elijah…

“Man of God, why did you do this to me? Did you come here to remind God of my sins and so cause my son’s death?”
Ouch – these are the words of a mother in pain
The woman blames everyone – she blames Elijah, God and herself
She thinks God is punishing her for her sins

The widow’s words reveal a lot about what she believes

She had been brought up to think like a pagan
A pagan lives in fear of the gods
A pagan thinks, ‘If something bad happens to me it’s my fault and I’m being punished’
That was part of the lie and the evil of Baal worship

Sometimes we can believe the lie that God doesn’t like us

We may suffer some misfortune and wonder…
‘What have I done wrong this time? Is God punishing me?’
We may have this concept of God as a harsh judge and cold executioner
And while the Lord is judge of all the earth, He is not harsh or detached
God is more like a loving Father and a caring coach – he likes us
God is not our critic – He doesn’t want us to fail
God is our strength and our support – He wants us to prevail
Whatever might happen to us – God still loves us
So when things go wrong we have hope – we can ask God for a solution

The widow wasn’t feeling God’s love though – she was feeling judgment

Elijah knows that her perception of God is out of balance and he goes about giving her a new (more accurate) concept of God

Because Elijah has hope – he takes the boy in his arms, carries him upstairs and asks God for a solution. Crying out with heartfelt emotion he says…

“O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die? Let this boy’s life return to him.”

The Good News version, which you have in your pews, has Elijah saying to the Lord, “…why have you done such a terrible thing to this widow?”

I think that translation may have taken a few liberties with the original text – it almost sounds like Elijah is accusing God
Rather Elijah asks God respectfully “…have you brought tragedy on this widow?…”, as if to say…
‘I don’t believe it is your will for this widow to suffer like this’

Elijah can’t tell God what to do – but he can ask God in hope – and when he does the Lord restores the boy’s life

Prayer is listening in faith, asking in hope and confessing in truth

Prayer is confessing in truth:

The famous Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon once said…

“True prayer is measured by weight, not by length. A single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a fine oration of great length.”

On seeing her son restored to life the widow confesses in truth, saying…

“Now I know you are a man of God and the Lord really speaks through you”

What we notice here is that the widow’s confession of truth is hard won

It’s not just loosely patched on the outside – she owns it on the inside
The crucible of loss & despair gives weight & substance to her confession

In John 17, Jesus talks about how his disciples have been sanctified by the truth

To be sanctified is to be made holy, purified, cleansed
In a way this woman has been sanctified by the truth
Not only has Elijah been proved a bona fide prophet of God
The widow has also come to know, through personal experience, that Yahweh is Lord of life and death – Baal is just an imposter
And knowing that truth sets her free from the fear of Baal

What God did for the widow of Zarephath is kind of a story in miniature (a living parable) of what he was doing for Israel through the drought

Israel had to go through the crucible of the famine to realise the truth that Yahweh is the Lord of life & death and Baal is just a fraud
It’s the truth that sets people free
It’s the truth that sanctifies us
But getting the truth through a hard heart takes tough love
And Ahab, it seems, had the hardest of hearts

In his book The Ragamuffin Gospel Brennan Manning (a recovering alcoholic) tells the true story of a group therapy session he participated in once [2]

It was April 1975 and there were 25 chemically dependent men in this rehab facility for drug addicts and alcoholics

The leader of the group was a skilled therapist by the name of Sean Murphy-O’Connor

Sean told one of the patients, Max, to sit in the hot seat in the centre of the group
Max was a nominal Christian, married with 5 children and the owner of a successful company
He was wealthy, affable and gifted with remarkable poise – it was hard to rattle him

Sean, the group leader, started bluntly…

“How long have you been drinking like a pig, Max?”
Max winced, “That’s a bit unfair”
“We’ll see”, replied Sean. “How much do you drink each day?”
“Two drinks before lunch, two after work, two before dinner and two before bed”
“So that’s a total of 8 drinks a day, Max?” Sean inquired
“Yes, not a drop more and not a drop less”

“You’re lying”, Sean replied

Max didn’t like Sean’s tone and insisted that his word was his bond but Sean wasn’t buying it
“Get me a phone” said Sean
A phone was brought in and Sean consulted a memo pad for a number
The phone was on speaker so everyone in the room could hear

Sean dialled Max’s local and spoke to Hank Shea the bartender

After introducing himself Sean asked Hank if he knew Max
“Yea, I know Max well”, Hank replied, “He has his standard six martinis every afternoon”
Max leapt to his feet and unleashed a stream of profanities that would make a stevedore blush
Then, after regaining his composure, he sat down again

One of the addicts in the group, a guy named Fred, spoke up…

“Have you ever been unkind to one of your kids, Max?”
“Glad you brought that up Fred. I have a fantastic rapport with my four boys. Last year I took them on a fishing expedition to the Rockies, a great time. Two of my sons graduated from Harvard you know…”
“I didn’t ask you that Max. At least once in his life every father has been unkind to one of his kids… Now give us a specific example.”

There was a long pause while Max tried hard to think

“Well, I was a little thoughtless with my 9 year old daughter last Christmas Eve”
“What happened?”
“I don’t remember exactly. I just get this heavy feeling whenever I think about it”
“Where did it happen? What were the circumstances?”
“Now wait one minute!” I told you I don’t remember.”

Sean dialled Max’s home number to speak with his wife

“Sean Murphy-O’Connor here ma’am. We’re in a group therapy session and your husband just told us he was unkind to your daughter last Christmas Eve. Can you give me the details please?”

A soft voice filled the room.

“Yes, I can tell you the whole thing. Our daughter Debbie wanted a pair of shoes for her Christmas present.
On the afternoon of December 24^th my husband drove her downtown, gave her $60 and told her to buy the best pair of shoes in the store.
That is exactly what she did
When she climbed back in the car, she kissed her father on the cheek and said he was the best daddy in the whole world
Max was preening himself like a peacock and decided to celebrate on the way home
He stopped at the Cork n’ Bottle and told her he would be right out
It was a clear, extremely cold day, so Max left the motor running and locked both doors of the car from the outside so no one could get in
It was a little after three in the afternoon…”

Max’s wife began to cry.

“My husband met some old Army buddies in the tavern… He lost track of time and didn’t make it out of the Cork n’ Bottle until midnight
He was drunk
The motor had stopped running and the car windows were frozen shut
Debbie was badly frostbitten on both ears and on her fingers.
When we got her to the hospital, the doctors had to amputate her thumb and forefinger.”

On hearing his wife speak the reality of what he had done Max collapsed on the floor and sobbed hysterically – undone by the truth about himself

Max was a liar: his lie consisted in appearing to be something he was not – a social drinker

Truth for him meant acknowledging that he was an alcoholic and his drinking was hurting those closest to him

Like Max, king Ahab and much of Israel were lying to themselves – appearing to be something they were not – righteous

Truth for them meant acknowledging that their religion was false and that their worship of Baal was hurting those closest to them
God had to turn the rain off to get the message through
Israel had to go through a crucible of loss and despair to realise the truth – to be able to pray in truth

It’s the truth which sets us free – the truth that sanctifies us

I’m not sure what your truth is
Maybe you’re not an alcoholic, maybe you are a workaholic
Or maybe you’re addicted to something else
We all have a tendency to lie to ourselves in some way
The point is: prayer requires us to be honest with God
But before we can be honest with Him we need to be honest with ourselves
Prayer isn’t just reciting a few words from a book
Prayer is confessing in truth
Being real and owning what we say before God, personally

Conclusion:

They call it the Tranzsend Prayer and Self Denial campaign, because prayer is essential to mission – without prayer there is no mission

Prayer means listening in faith
Asking in hope, and
Confessing in truth

[1] This story is adapted from the story, By the way, my name is Joe, in “Stories for a Man’s Heart, compiled by Al and Alice Gray, pages 17-18.

[2] Refer pages 123-130 of Brennan Manning’s book, ‘The Ragamuffin Gospel’.

May 8, 2016 Tawa Baptist

Baptism

Scripture: Mark 16:16a “Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved”

Title: Baptism

Key Idea: Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

Structure:

Introduction

Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

Conclusion

Introduction:

This morning Duan is being baptised

The word ‘baptise’ means to dip or immerse
There is a pool of water here at the front – we call this the ‘baptistery’
Duan will go into the water, make a profession of his faith in Jesus, then be immersed under the water before coming out again
That is the act of baptism

Baptism comes up in the New Testament quite a bit

John the Baptist immersed people in the Jordan river to get them ready for the coming Messiah
Jesus himself was baptised by John, as a sign that he had come to take away the sins of the world

Later Jesus went through another sort of baptism – not in water – but on the cross, when he was immersed in suffering

After his resurrection from the dead Jesus commanded his disciples to…

Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. [1]

Throughout the Book of Acts, the apostles did as Jesus instructed…

They preached the gospel and when people believed in Jesus the apostles baptised them

Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith:

We could go on listing other New Testament references to baptism but the key idea I want to communicate this morning is…

Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

Or as Beasley-Murray puts it…

“Baptism is… the divinely appointed rendezvous of grace for faith.” [2]

In the New Testament the same gifts of grace are associated with faith as with baptism – so grace, faith and baptism go together

Baptism is a nexus point for God’s grace & our faith

Just so we are on the same page…

By grace we mean a multifaceted gift from God
A gift, by definition, is freely given – we don’t pay for it
So grace is unearned – it costs God but it doesn’t cost us

And faith is believing (or trusting) to the point we are prepared to act on that belief

Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

Let me illustrate by way of analogy

Imagine someone tells you that Mexted Motors are giving away cars – brand new cars at no cost
All you have to do is turn up at their car yard, collect the key, get in the car and drive away

Grace is being given the new car for free

And baptism is the rendezvous point for collecting the new car – that is: the yard at Mexted’s

Faith is believing that what you have been told is true and then acting on that belief by walking down to Mexted’s, collecting a key, getting in a vehicle and driving away

Faith is not saying, ‘I agree that Mexted’s are giving away cars’ and then sitting at home on the couch
Faith is acting on your belief – trusting that what you have heard is true

Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

Now, in many ways this is an inadequate analogy for baptism

We don’t just turn up to collect the goodies from God and then drive away – see you later. No
In baptism we become forever friends with Jesus
So when we get in the car (when we are baptised) the Spirit of God is already there waiting for us – ready to show us the way to go through life

Translating the analogy for you…

Duan has heard the gospel preached
He has heard the good news that God has grace – a wonderful multi-faceted gift to give away
And he has come to the waters of baptism in faith to receive God’s grace
After receiving the grace God wants to give, Duan will continue his journey through life with God

So what is this grace of God?

Well, firstly Duan, there’s no free car
And that goes for the rest of you as well
I don’t want anyone turning up at Mexted’s this afternoon, saying…
“I’ve been baptised. Where’s my free car.”

Seriously though, Jesus embodies the fullness of God’s grace

All the different facets of God’s grace we find in Christ
Jesus is God’s gift to the world for the salvation of creation

When we are baptised into Christ we receive forgiveness from sin [3]

And union with Christ [4]

With forgiveness God wipes our slate clean – He doesn’t hold our wrong doing against us

That means our guilt is removed – we’re justified & accepted before God
Not only are our sins forgiven – but sin also loses its power over us
The power of sin is death – because we are forgiven, death can’t hold us
And because we are justified, the accusations of the evil one won’t stick

In believers’ baptism we also receive from God union with Christ

Baptism is sort of like a wedding ceremony in that it unites us to Christ
Just as marriage is for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, so too union with Christ is for better or worse, through thick & thin
Baptism doesn’t mean the end of suffering or difficulty in this life
But it does mean the end of trying to cope with difficulties on your own

It also means a change to our lifestyle

I remember when I married Robyn, I had to change my mind set
No longer could I think like a single man
Now I had to consider Robyn in everything I did
I needed to learn to listen to her and tell her what I was thinking & feeling
It’s the same with our union to Christ – we have to consider him in all our decisions – how will this affect Jesus?
We need to listen to him and be honest with him – we call that prayer

Union with Christ is a biggy – it comes with a number of benefits

For starters union with Christ gives you the Spirit of Jesus
The Holy Spirit is the key to everything really
The Spirit precedes baptism in that He leads us to Christ and makes faith & repentance possible
Faith is a gift from God
The Holy Spirit is also given in baptism [5]
One of the Biblical metaphors for the Holy Spirit is water
We are baptised in water as a sign that through our union with Christ we are being immersed in God’s Spirit
The Holy Spirit then follows baptism – we go on being filled with the Spirit who empowers us to live the Christian life

Union with Christ gives you the promise of resurrection

In Romans 6 Paul writes: Don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?
…If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. [6]

Because Jesus is God’s Son, union with Christ makes us sons & daughters of God

As co-heirs with Christ we will inherit God’s kingdom

And last but not least, union with Christ means we become members of the church universal

Duan’s baptism is not something which is done in isolation
It’s not just between him and God
Duan’s baptism is between him and God and us
Duan is being incorporated into Christ’s body, the church
So we who have been baptised are affected by this
We are encourageed and strengthened by it

There is much more I could say about baptism but that’s enough for today

The main point is: Baptism is where God’s grace meets our faith

We will now hear a testimony from Duan…

[1] Mark 16:15-16

[2] G.R. Beasley-Murray, ‘Baptism in the New Testament, page 273.

[3] Acts 2:38

[4] Galatians 3:27

[5] 1 Corinthians 12:13

[6] Romans 6:3 & 5

September 20, 2015September 20, 2015 Tawa Baptist

Resilient Faith

Scripture: Exodus 16:1-21

Title: Resilient Faith

Structure:

Introduction
What is resilience?
Developing resilience
- Presence (not absence)
- Nourishment (not neglect)
- Discipline (not excess)
Conclusion

Introduction:

Resilience is the capacity to withstand stress & catastrophe [1]

This Volts Wagon is certainly showing some resilience

Please turn with me to Exodus chapter 16 – page 76 in your pew Bibles

Today we continue our series in Exodus
The people have been camped at Elim – an oasis in the wilderness
Now they set out toward Sinai and on the way their resilience is tested and found wanting. From Exodus 16, verse 1, we read…

Read Exodus 16:1-21

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

What is resilience?

A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well

Diamonds are of course one of the most resilient objects known to man
They are formed when carbon is put under extreme heat and pressure

Resilience is not something you’re born with

Resilience develops as we grow up – although it doesn’t develop automatically

Some factors that contribute to resilience are:

A good support network – including family & friends
A positive (and accurate) view of yourself

Good problem-solving and communication skills
The ability to ask for help and resources
Healthy coping strategies – including the ability to celebrate & enjoy life
An outward focus – by which I mean a mind-set which considers the needs and well-being of others
And most importantly, in my view, faith in a loving God

All these things give us the basic materials for resilience – but we don’t really know how resilient we are until we face some kind of crisis

Pressure and stress reveal the diamond in our charcoal

People who are resilient have the ability to pick themselves up and carry on

They don’t see themselves as victims – they see themselves as survivors
Those with resilience are able to find positive meaning in the difficult circumstances of their lives
And they have the strength to manage strong feelings and impulses

Moses provides a good example of someone with resilience

The people of Israel? – Not so much

In Exodus 16 the people have left the oasis at Elim and followed Moses into the desert of Sin

It has been somewhere between 4 and 6 weeks since the Israelites left Egypt (depending on how you interpret verse 1)
For not the first time the people complain to Moses & Aaron, saying…
“We wish the Lord had killed us in Egypt. There we could at least sit down and eat meat and as much other food as we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death”

Wow – that’s messed up

The people who said that didn’t have their heads screwed on right
It hasn’t been two months yet and already they seem to have forgotten what God has done for them

The good old days are never as good as people remember them

In actual fact the Israelites were slaves in Egypt – they were badly mistreated – they didn’t always have meat or enough to eat
Pharaoh was trying to kill them
But God delivered them from their suffering in a miraculous way

The people weren’t starving yet – they were just worried that they might run out of food – what happens then?

They were getting ahead of themselves and thinking the worst

One of the things you notice when you watch interviews with the All Blacks for this world cup is that they are very careful not to get ahead of themselves

The tournament is just getting underway
They’re not thinking about the final
They’re thinking about what’s happening now
They’re thinking about the practice that morning
Or the pool game that afternoon
One day at a time sweet Jesus, one day at a time

Not getting ahead of yourself – not thinking the worst – takes mental discipline

Sadly it was a discipline the Israelites hadn’t learned at that point
They accuse Moses of wanting to starve them which just shows how fearful they were – and how little control they had over their thoughts
They weren’t calm on the inside – their minds were racing
The food crisis has led to a faith crisis [2]

Moses shows resilience in the face of this accusation

Like the Volts Wagon under the elephant he doesn’t crumple
He isn’t defeated by the weight of the people’s criticism
Nor does he spit the dummy and walk off
Moses waits for God

So where does Moses’ resilience come from?

Well, I think there are a number of pillars to his resilience

If we look at Moses’ upbringing we note that he had a loving and supportive family network

His sister Miriam watched over him as a baby when he was put in a basket and floated down the Nile
His biological mother spent lots of face to face time with him as an infant, so he learned basic trust from that consistent attachment
His adopted mother was a princess in Egypt and so Moses never wanted for anything growing up
His basic assumption as a child was one of abundance not scarcity

But Moses didn’t live his whole life in an ivory tower

After 40 years living in the wilderness as a shepherd he was well acquainted with the realities of survival
His adult life experience had taught him resilience in harsh environments

Aaron was another string to Moses’ bow of resilience – although it was only a matter of time before Aaron became a thorn in Moses’ side

The main stay of Moses’ resilience is his relationship with Yahweh

Moses is not acting or speaking on his own
He is following God’s instructions and so he is able to say…
‘When you complain against us you are really complaining against the Lord’, verse 8
When we know we are in God’s will for us, when we know we are doing what God wants us to do, nothing can shake us
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” [3]
The Lord is Moses’ support network, his resilience, his strength

To be fair the people of Israel did not enjoy the same advantages that Moses did

They didn’t have the raw materials needed for resilience
They didn’t have a princess looking after them
They had the sting of the slave driver’s whip instead
They didn’t know abundance – they only knew hard work & poverty
Years of brutal oppression & slavery had all but wiped out their resilience

Suffering and stress may reveal resilience – like sandpaper reveals the wood grain under paint

But when suffering and stress is all you’ve known then pain and fear is all you’ve got
If you keep sanding the wood too long it will wear thin and break
Suffering by itself doesn’t make you stronger – it makes you less resilient
Faith – learning to trust – that is what makes a person stronger

Developing resilience:

It seems to me that God wanted to develop a resilient faith among His people

The sort of faith that wouldn’t fall to pieces every time they found themselves in a stressful situation

And to develop this resilience the Lord gave the people three things…

His presence, nourishment and discipline
These three things are (coincidentally) what a parent needs to give their child for resilience

Presence – not absence

C.S. Lewis once wrote…

“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always easy to penetrate. The real labour is to remember to attend. In fact to come awake. Still more to remain awake.”

This has been my experience

God is not absent or aloof – He is everywhere, but He’s in disguise

Personally I see God most clearly in my circumstances

I tend to be more aware of Him out there (in the world) than I am of Him in here (in church)
I love it when God puts me in just the right place, at just the right time, with just the right resources to help just the right person
That’s when I’m most aware of God’s presence

I remember on our honeymoon, Robyn and I were near Russell, in the Bay of Islands

We were driving along in our burnt orange Mark 2 Ford Escort, coming over the hill from Tapeka Point, and this lady waved us down
So I pulled over to the side of the road and she quickly opened the door and jumped in the back
She was scared out of her wits because a dog had been chasing her
We gave her a lift down the hill into Russell township – she got out and we never saw her again

It was a small thing for us to do – no inconvenience really – but I saw God in that situation

He put us in the right place, at the right time, with the right resources to help a stranger in need
If we had come over the hill one minute earlier we would probably have missed her
And if we had come one minute later, who knows – maybe she would have been bitten or worse
It was a God moment

In Exodus 16, verse 10, we read how God makes is presence visible to the people of Israel in the form of a dazzling light inside a cloud

The people were scared and insecure – they needed to see God’s presence in a tangible way
Nothing is more convincing than presence

If you want to develop or maintain a resilient faith, then stay alert to the signs of God’s presence, whatever form He may meet you in, whether that’s through:

Reading the Bible
Or singing worship songs
Or helping people
Or experiencing dreams and visions
Or whatever – just look for His presence

Nourishment – not neglect

The second thing God does in Exodus 16, to help the people develop resilient faith, is He feeds them

God provides nourishment (He does not neglect His people)

The nourishment comes in the form of meat and bread – protein and carbs

God sends quail in the evening and manna in the morning

Quail are known to migrate across the Sinai Peninsula at certain times of the year

They stop to rest on the ground in the evening and would be easy for the people to catch
Although quail are naturally occurring, their provision in this situation, is extraordinary – God must be behind it
Because the quail arrive every night for 40 years and they never run out
In the ordinary course of events you wouldn’t expect that sort of frequency or quantity

The manna which appeared in the morning could also be a naturally occurring food source

There is an insect in that part of the world which feeds off the tamarisk tree and it secretes a white yellowy substance which is sweet to eat
It is rich in carbohydrates & sugar and it’s still gathered by people living in that area today
At night, when it’s cold, the substance congeals, but then, when the sun comes out, it melts in the heat of the day
It is a food which normally decays quickly and it attracts ants

Whatever you want to call this stuff it fits the description of manna in Exodus

The provision of manna, in this situation, is extraordinary – God must be behind it

Because the manna is there every morning for 40 years, enough to feed well over 1 million people each day
And on Friday’s it lasts for two days without going bad
In the normal course of events you wouldn’t expect that kind of frequency or quantity – nor would you expect that kind of shelf life

The way God consistently provides quail & manna shows the people He can be relied on – they can trust Him

Even when the people complain or disobey, God still keeps feeding them

Feeding children is one of the core responsibilities of parents

That routine of providing regular meals is actually one of the things that contributes to a child’s resilience
It helps them to feel safe and secure so they learn to trust and not worry about where their next meal is coming from

God provides the ingredients for a resilient faith by the gift of His presence and by feeding His people regularly

He also develops resilience through discipline

Discipline – not excess

Discipline is a misunderstood word these days

We often associate discipline with punishment – six of the best or time out or being grounded or some other negative consequence

But discipline isn’t really about punishment – discipline is about learning

To discipline someone is to teach them

So for example, teaching your child how to use a knife and fork so they can eat their dinner independently – that is discipline

Or teaching them how to bake a cake or sew on a button – these are also examples of disciplining your children

God’s gift of manna & quail comes with certain instructions

These instructions are designed to help the people get the most out of God’s gifts and to teach the people faith or trust in God

So when God says, ‘only gather as much as you need and don’t try and hoard it’, this is teaching the people both to practice self-restraint and to trust the Lord to provide some more tomorrow

Give us this day our daily bread

And when the Lord says, ‘gather a double portion on Friday and don’t gather any on Saturday’, this is teaching the people to rest

It is showing them their life does not depend on work and endless activity – it depends on God
Learning to rest, to celebrate, to enjoy life, to find a healthy distraction from work, this is a significant contributor to resilience also

Another thing you notice if you watch interviews with the All Blacks, leading up to this world cup, is the way they are keeping the conversation light

They’re not intensely focused on rugby all the time and I think this helps to preserve their resilience
I saw an interview in which Luke Romano was talking about how he and Sam Whitelock had been feeding the hotel nuts to a squirrel
It’s a healthy distraction – something else to think about – it helps them stay relaxed so they are better able to handle the pressure when it comes

God loves the people of Israel enough to discipline them

He doesn’t spoil the Israelites with excess
He teaches them resilience by giving them boundaries

We human beings need certain boundaries (especially when we are young)

The discipline or the teaching of what is good for us, and what is harmful, actually gives us a sense of security and strength in adulthood

Discipline (teaching right from wrong) is like setting up the boxing when you are pouring concrete

If you want the concrete to hold its shape you need to make sure the boxing is in place beforehand
Without the boxing the wet concrete runs everywhere
But with the firm boundary provided by the boxing the concrete stays in place and then once it is set you can take the boxing away
Once the child has learned you don’t have to stay on their back all the time

Or to use another metaphor, teaching resilient faith is like teaching someone to ride a bike

When we start out in the faith God may give us training wheels
By training wheels I mean special supports like miracles perhaps, or a warm glow, or enthusiasm for reading the Bible or something else that makes believing in Him a bit easier
These training wheels give us the feel of faith and help us to build up some confidence

But ultimately God wants to teach us to ride without the training wheels

Because the picture of an adult riding with kiddy wheels is disturbing

And so, as we progress in the Christian faith, God may take away the supports

We might not experience miracles anymore or we may go through a real dry time in our devotional life or we may struggle with doubt
When God removes the training wheels it might feel like He has abandoned us – but actually He hasn’t – He’s still right there beside us
It’s just that we are having to learn to ride a two wheeler now
It feels a bit wobbly to begin with and we may fall over & skin our knees
But if we pick ourselves up again and carry on we eventually get the hang of it – we learn resilient faith

Conclusion:

I’m conscious that we are not all the same when it comes to resilience

Some people have been given all they need for resilience
They have grown up in a functional family and are surrounded by people who love and support them
They are able to take time off to enjoy life and have really good communication skills and so on

Then there are others who have suffered loss repeatedly and actually feel quite fragile most of the time

Or those who didn’t have a happy childhood
Those whose experience was one of neglect or excess or even abuse
And others who are having to work three jobs just to make ends meet, so they don’t have time to rest and enjoy life
Resilience in these cases seems like an unattainable goal
Let me say to you, Jesus understands – He is all compassion
“A bruised reed he will not break and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out.”

Whatever your situation – Jesus is our security

His resurrection from the dead is our hope of eternal resilience.
Whether we feel bullet proof or paper thin – strong or weak…
We need to keep looking to Christ for His presence, His nourishment and His discipline
And we shouldn’t be afraid or surprised when the training wheels come off – it’s really a compliment when God does that – a sign of His love and trust in us

[1] http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/resilience/what-resilience

[2] Terence Fretheim, Exodus, page 181.

[3] Romans 8:31