Satisfaction Guaranteed - Exodus 16:1-10

[0:00] Oh, good morning. Welcome to Calvary Chapel Charlotte. Well, let's snoop in our Bibles to Exodus 16. If you remember last week, we saw for Israel that they were looking at their circumstances. They were looking at God, I should say, through their circumstances. That Israel saw their bitter and difficult situation as a reason to complain instead of a reason to believe. Where God looks at every situation, every bitter and difficult situation, as an opportunity for his love, an opportunity for his grace. Israel was just as sufficiently cared for at Marah, that place of bitterness, as they were at Elam. That at Marah and Elam, God cared for them. At Marah and Elam, God gave them life and refreshed them in both places. For Moses, you gotta figure, he's already getting a little tired of this. He's been leading these people and the ups and downs, but maybe he's thinking, all right, you know what? They've seen what God can do, how he can deliver. They've experienced the bitterness of unrealized expectations. And now, certainly after coming from Elam, things are going to be looking up from here. Matthew 16, 25. Jesus writes and says, for whoever will save his life shall lose it, and whoever shall lose his life, for my sake, shall find it. You realize in both of those equations, there's loss of life. If you seek to save your life, you're going to lose it. But you have to lose it for Jesus' sake, to find it. So either way, there's a loss of life. We think that we are living life and experiencing life. We want to live life, but we're not. We're not gaining life. We're actually losing life one day at a time. One experience at a time. You're not gaining anything. You're actually losing life one moment at a time. He who seeks to save his life, he who seeks to gather as much to him, you're not. Every experience you want to take part in, everything you want to do, well, you lose it.

[1:54] And then you have to go and get another one, and another one, which proves what? You don't have life. You're just losing it. You're not satisfied. Jesus says, whoever will lose his life for my sake, look, you're going to lose it anyway. No matter how much you think you can gather up, at the end, it's still all over. But if you lose it for his sake, well, you'll find it. Well, what does that mean?

[2:14] Well, that means that I have a new priority. That means instead of trying to gather to myself my own life, well, I'm now going to lose mine and let go of mine so that I can then go and prioritize his life where I can be truly satisfied. Israel now, in verse one, it says, they took their journey, in chapter 16, from Elam. That means just the place of the palm trees. This place on a camp, an encampment that was refreshing for them. And all the congregation of the children of Israel came into the wilderness of sin. Man, again, we don't need to make a lot of application there. You don't want to be in the wilderness of sin. It doesn't actually mean that sin. It doesn't mean separation from God. It doesn't mean rebellion against God. It's a Hebrew word which means thorn or clay. So it's a wilderness that there's not a lot growing there. It seems like most of the plant life is going to be the thorny brush type. It's a hard place of clay. It's more pronounced like if you're from South Carolina. Seen as opposed to sin. So if you draw out that I-E, that's how it's pronounced. It's the wilderness of seen, not sin. So just say it like you're from South Carolina. But what is it? Why the wilderness? So here they are. They're traveling from the Red Sea. They've come through the wilderness.

[3:26] They've come to Mara, their first encampment, where they mumbled and grumbled and complained because they didn't have water. I mean, ironically, the God who split the sea and controls the water, then they come to a place where they don't have water and they complain because they think God can't supply it for them. Well, then they move on to Elam. And from Elam, after that place of rest and refreshing, it says they've now moved off into the wilderness of sin. It's not that far away.

[3:50] I mean, you're talking a couple days journey. But they're out in this place, which is between Elam and Sinai. And on the 15th day of the second month, this took place after they're departing out of the land of Egypt. Remember when they left Egypt, Moses said to them, well, the Lord said to Moses, hey, say to the people, this is their first month. This is the beginning of months. You're going to mark your calendar by your deliverance. You're going to mark your calendar by the blood of the Lamb.

[4:14] Same for us, right? We mark our calendar. We have a totally different calendar now because we're in Christ from that day when we met him. So within that, God gave them instructions for the Passover, which was you would take a lamb and you would keep it in your home. And on the 14th day of the month, the whole congregation would go and would slaughter the lamb. So my thought is when he said, hey, this is the first month, Abib, then it was probably the 14th day of that month when they had the first Passover. So we're talking a month later because this is the second month, the 15th day of the second month. You know, God isn't just making this up as he goes along. I don't know. You watch movies, right? You read fictional stories. We never get the nitty gritty, right? I mean, when did they bathe?

[5:00] Why do they always wear the same clothes through the whole movie? You know, where'd they get their resources? They never run out of ammo, things like that. You know, God gives us a specific, this isn't a made up story. He says the 15th day of the second month, this happened, period.

[5:14] It's a historical fact. It took place. The wilderness is very specific and that the wilderness provides opportunities for faith and preparation in a way that no other location can. Wilderness will provide that. As Jesus says in Matthew 3, 316, around Jesus says, the scripture says of Jesus.

[5:35] And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened unto him and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him. If you were writing that story, what was going to be next? Man, Jesus has just been baptized. He's gone through the waters. The Holy Spirit comes on him. There's a voice from heaven saying, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. And Jesus went forth in power and conquered the nations, right? If you were writing that. Well, verse 1 of chapter 4 in Matthew says, then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Why? Why would you need to do that? Why does Jesus need to go into the wilderness? Because the wilderness provides opportunities for faith and preparation in a way that no other location can. And the prophet Hosea would write, the Lord would tell Hosea, write this, this is concerning his wife, but in a type of Israel, the Lord is saying, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and I will speak comfortably unto her and I will give her her vineyards from thence and the valley of Achor for a door of hope. And she shall sing there as in the days of her youth and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. God said there's a purpose for the wilderness. I'm bringing you into the wilderness. Why? Because if we can conquer the battles and get victory in the wilderness, we can do it anywhere else. If we can trust God in the wilderness, if God can supply in the wilderness, if God can be sufficient in the wilderness, man, he can anywhere else. If Jesus, after 40 days and 40 nights, tempted in the wilderness, the weakest point of his humanity could overcome Satan with a word, well then he can do it anywhere else. Poor Satan, defeated in the wilderness and he didn't even know it. And the cross still ahead of him, ahead of Jesus. But the wilderness of sin, if we look at it as the word S-I-N, not seen, but sin. I mean, sin is a wilderness. So we're going to use that and we're going to draw that comparison.

[7:29] But just like this wilderness, the wilderness of sin, it's empty, it's lifeless, it's hard, and it's full of trials. If you want to live in the wilderness of sin, it's going to be an empty place.

[7:41] There's not going to be any life there. It's going to be very hard and it's going to be full of trials. But that wilderness is also part of the journey that we're all going to have to go through. We all have to go through the wilderness of sin, whether we want to or not. It's part of the journey. Sin will always be a wilderness, but it is a wilderness that is not beyond the deliverance of God, as Israel is going to discover. Why is God taking them through the wilderness?

[8:06] Because Israel needs to know that their God who took them out of Egypt and led them through the Red Sea, that he can provide every step of the way for them. And so they're in the wilderness.

[8:17] As we said, it's not like Zafar. I mean, Elam was like, what, a day or two ago? Well, and okay, God gave us water. But now the whole congregation, in verse two, of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. Why were they murmuring? What was the problem? Why are they so upset? He said, would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, when we did eat bread to the full, when we had Chick-fil-A.

[8:44] For you have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. God just provided water, but he can't provide food. And isn't that so much, it's so much like me.

[8:56] Like, thank you, Lord, for answering that prayer. But now I got another one. Do you think you can handle this one too? I don't know, Lord. I mean, you answered one. Remember that word murmured means to lodge or affix, like to lodge a complaint or to affix blame.

[9:10] The wilderness testing, it's unavoidable, but it's also one of the only places where God can reveal our hearts, right? God knows what's in Israel's heart. They don't. Israel, leaving Egypt, if they went right into the prosperity of the promised land and had no battles to fight, no hardships, there'd be no development for them. There'd be no growth for them. There'd be no trust in God and their faith. The wilderness is unavoidable, but the reason is, is because it's there that we find out what we're made of, and then we find out what God is made of as well. So Israel, they have a respect for Moses. They're following Moses, but they did not give that respect freely. You know, we talked last week about expectations and unrealistic expectations, expectations in a relationship and how that weighs a relationship down, expecting something from it that it just can't give.

[10:00] Well, Israel, they had a respect for Moses, but they didn't give it freely. They were expecting something in return. Moses, we followed you, Moses. We put our trust in you, so take care of us. Israel had come to expect Moses to not just speak on behalf of God, but they expected Moses to be God on their behalf. Moses, you're the one who needs to fix this problem.

[10:24] You take care of it. You're the pastor. Go take care of the problem. They put an unrealistic expectation upon Moses, and they sunk their relationship with Moses beneath the weight of that. The respect they had for Moses, that respect disappeared because they weren't satisfied, because they were looking at their circumstances with an expectation that Moses would be the one to take care of it. We do the same thing to God. We put expectation on God that lines up with our view of the circumstances, that it looks like what I want it to look like, and I expect God to be the source of my satisfaction. Unrealistic expectation is a weight that no relationship can bear, not even our relationship with God. When we put unrealistic expectations to be a fast talker in combined words that are tongue twisters, it's not good. Unrealistic expectations, when we put them on any situation, we put them on God, well, we set ourselves up for failure. We're kind of like that scripture Jesus said. He who seeks to save his life is going to lose it. You can't gain. You're only losing. It's not possible. Well, as soon as I put this heavy burden of expectation on unrealistic expectation, that God has to meet all of my needs as I see them, well, I've already set myself up for failure. I've set God up for failure in my eyes. And verse 3, and the children of Israel said unto them, we just read, to Moses and Aaron, would to God, listen how spiritually I sound here, would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord and the land of Egypt. This isn't God's will,

[11:58] Moses. This is definitely not God's will, that we are in the desert and in a trial. This is not. Israel's insinuating that their current circumstances were proof that Moses was not being led by God because Moses was not fulfilling their desires. And certainly if God is leading, Moses is going to fulfill my desires. And surely God would want me to be happy, right? That has to be God's will if it makes me happy. If it's not, then this can't be the Lord's will. You know, the world tells us, follow your heart. Do what makes you happy. You think, well, does that mean God doesn't want me to be happy? He wants to be miserable, sad, and depressed? No, God wants us to be happy. He wants us to be happy beyond all compare. But happiness is derived from circumstances and situations. When I look to a circumstance and a situation to make me happy, my happiness is now dependent upon the outcome of that circumstance and situation. When I enter every situation and circumstance already with happiness, because my happiness is in another source, and I'm always happy, right? That's called what?

[13:03] Joy. That's called something that's not dependent on circumstances, but endures circumstances. The world says, listen to your heart and trust the direction you are being led. Something inside you already knows what to do. That's an actual quote, and I didn't put the person who quoted it because I didn't want it. That's just terrible. Listen to your heart, trust the direction you're being led.

[13:28] Something inside you already knows what to do. Yes, it does. It sure does. And we're living in a world that knows exactly what to do. The person that follows their heart and the man who dresses like a woman because he's following his heart, right? The people who kill their children because something inside them says, follow your heart. There's something inside them that knows what to do. And well, I'll just follow that. The world says, follow your heart. God's word says, but those things which proceed out of the mouth, they come forth from the heart and they defile a man. It's not what you eat he's talking about.

[14:02] For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies. Yeah, there's something inside you that knows what to do, but if you follow it, that's what you end up. You seek to save your life. You seek to fulfill your own life. Well, you're going to end up there. You see, when we listen to our hearts, our mouths say really foolish things. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And in our heart is not the fulfillment we think should be there.

[14:30] The heart must be directed by God. God never intended our hearts. God never, I'm sorry, God never intended the heart to direct. The heart must be directed. We have to channel the heart into something. The heart just wants what it wants. The heart is just has a desire that it wants fulfilled.

[14:52] And if you pursue your heart, all you're just doing is pursuing desire fulfilled and it can never be fulfilled because it's always seeking fulfillment. Jesus says in Matthew 6 21, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You direct it. You direct, you decide your treasure. It doesn't say where your heart is. Well, there will your treasure be. This is where your treasure is, there will your heart be. And you can see that in people's lives where they direct their, their treasure. I'm a self-confessed man of many hobbies. Used to, not as many. A lot of treasures, a lot of things I like to do.

[15:27] And it's a lot more fun now as some of them I'm digging out and Henry and I are doing together. So there's a redeeming quality to some of those. But man, it's like, that's where your heart is. That's where your heart thoughts are. That's where your mind is. Yeah, this is what I'm into.

[15:38] And then you find yourself into something else and it's like, oh yeah, that doesn't matter anymore. That's not where my heart's at anymore. But we have to direct that. The heart must be directed. Proverbs 4 23 says to keep our hearts with all diligence. For out of it are the issues of life.

[15:55] But what's issuing out of that? What's your life going to be, what is contained in your life? What's your life made up of? Is it as Jesus said there, murders, adulteries, evil thoughts, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemies? Maybe you work with some people like that. I do.

[16:10] That's what their life consists of. The things that's coming out of their heart. And you see where their treasure is, where they've chosen to put their treasure, and then where their heart is. But the desires of the flesh can never be used to verify God's will. That's what Israel is doing here. They're saying, hey, this can't be God's will because it's not lining up with my desire. Galatians 5 17 says, for the flesh lusts or desires against the spirit, and the spirit desires against the flesh.

[16:42] There's two contrary competing desires. And these are contrary to one to the other, so that you cannot do the things you would. See a nice light topic after last week's heavy topic of bitterness. This week we'll talk about the flesh.

[16:55] But as God takes us on our journey, you know, he's taking Israel to a promised land. We don't have a promised land in this life, right? We have a promise where we will have a destination that we're not at yet, which is heaven. Israel has that too. But we do have promised life in this world.

[17:16] We have a promised life, and it's the life of the spirit. It's contrary. It's opposite from the life of the flesh. Israel's headed to a promised land, and there are certain things that they cannot take with them into the promised land. There are thoughts and attitudes and ideas about who God is, about what they expect that cannot go with them. There are wilderness trials. There's wilderness temptations. There's wilderness attitudes, thoughts, and sin that God does not want them to bring with them into their promised land. Well, we have a promised life, and it's the life of the spirit.

[17:47] And God doesn't want us to bring the life of the flesh. What is the life of the flesh? It's the fallen man, the fallen nature. It's the desire, the same thing that Satan put in front of Eve and Adam, and they said, yes, we will choose our way instead of God's way. We will choose, instead of forsaking our life, to find real life and satisfaction in Christ. Well, what are we going to do? We're going to just go after our own life, or we're going to lose life. The flesh is all about fulfillment, but it's all about fulfillment for itself. Paul would write in Galatians chapter five, beginning in verse 19, he says, now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murder, drunkenness, revelings, and such like.

[18:41] The which I tell you before, as I've also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. It's a good scripture to read before bed, you know, put you in a, calm you down, get ready to sleep. Man, that's a list, but notice every one of those items on that list. They're all for what? Self-satisfaction. Do they benefit anybody else? Is anybody else benefited by drunkenness, murder, envying, revelings? No, they're all focused on one person, and myself.

[19:14] They all come from a source of self-satisfaction, self-gratification. See, the problem is what Israel is running into. They see relationships and even God as a source of their fulfillment. Their relationship with God is not dependent upon what God can do for them in the sense of who he is and what he does on his behalf for them, but their relationship with God is dependent on what he can do for their fulfillment. What can God do to fulfill me? How can God make me feel satisfied?

[19:48] Then the pursuit of life becomes what? Well, it becomes about satisfaction and gratification. Even my relationship with God, my relationship with God's people, all becomes part of what? Well, I want to be satisfied. I want to be gratified. And anything that doesn't do that, it's not God's will, because God wants me to be satisfied and gratified. Israel here, they're doing two things. They're using God's will to justify the desires of their flesh. They say, well, God wouldn't do this. He wants me to be by the flesh pots. You know, I don't remember reading that when we went through that part of Exodus. Do you remember any time Israel was sitting by their flesh pots when they were full of bread?

[20:26] I remember bondage. I remember slavery. I remember they didn't have the right to even go on vacation. And now they're remembering, well, it was a wonderful time. Using God's will to justify the desires of their flesh. And they're viewing God's will and God's man in light of what would satisfy their flesh. It's all about their desire, their fulfillment, their satisfaction.

[20:52] But the problem is with the flesh, just like we talked about with the heart, the heart wants what it wants. And it just wants fulfillment. Well, since the flesh cannot be fulfilled or satisfied in the moment, well, then the problem is it's never going to see anything that experiences as satisfactory. But what does it do? It looks at all other times as, oh, that's when I'm fulfilled.

[21:17] Remember that time? That's when I was fulfilled. But it's not true because in the past, in that moment, I wasn't because the flesh can't satisfy. You know, it's like waiting for that Amazon package.

[21:28] Man, if I just get this one, this is going to satisfy me. I can't wait to get it. I'm going to read the reviews one more time. That is so cool. And it comes and you're like, I am so satisfied. Two days later, like that would be a good thing to buy. I think I'm going to get that one too.

[21:40] Right? It doesn't satisfy. It sees all other times as the fulfillment it believes is being withheld at the present. So the flesh sees the future as an opportunity fulfillment. It sees the past as I'm sure I was fulfilled, but it's being withheld me at the present. And I'm going to blame someone as Israel does when I'm in the flesh. I'm going to blame God. I'm going to blame you. Not you. Point at my wife.

[22:06] Blame you. I'm going to blame someone. Israel is judging their present circumstances based on their perceived source of fulfillment. Right now they're, they're doing it based on their perceived past fulfillment. I was fulfilled at this one time in life. It was wonderful. If only I could get back there again. And that's the type of person who does what? They live in the past. They never leave the past because they think that's where their fulfillment was. Paul tells us in Philippians 3.13, this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before. Well, what's he saying? Well, there's, there's fulfillment in the future.

[22:46] No, not at all. He's saying those things that are in front of him, the things that are before him, that God is placing there for him. You see, when we hold onto the past, either good or bad, it will prevent us from grabbing onto what God does have for us in the present, what God wants to give us in the present. What he knows is satisfactory and fulfilling in the present, but it will never be according to my sense of fulfillment or according to the flesh. Right? But if I'm holding on to something in the past that I was perceiving as that's where I was fulfilled, if I can just get back to that situation, or if it's in the future, if I could just have this thing in the future, this person, this relationship, this whatever, you know, the bass boat. No, I don't want a bass boat.

[23:27] Just thinking again, the people I work with. It prevents us from grabbing onto what God is putting in front of us right now and says, Hey, here's, here's something for you. Here's something.

[23:38] I foreordained this before the foundation of the world for you to walk in. I've been, what's today's date? You know, on March 2nd, 2025, I have this for you. Do you want it? Oh, you're too busy trying to find fulfillment in some other situation. Never use past happiness to judge your present walk with God. Right? So the flesh thinks fulfillment comes by way of desire fulfilled. Right? We think if I just have my desire fulfilled, Israel thinks, man, if Moses, if you would just align with our plan, just fulfill my desire. That's where fulfillment comes from. Right? I just need to have this desire fulfilled. Has anyone found that to be true? What desire fulfilled prevented other desires that need to be fulfilled? No. Proof is that they don't fulfill because I need another Amazon package and another Amazon package and another. I like Amazon. Sorry. Satisfaction and fulfillment, they are the ends that can only come from a source of fulfillment, right? They're not something to chase after. We don't chase satisfaction. We don't chase fulfillment. That's not the source of anything in our life.

[24:46] Now the flesh thinks it is. Our old man thinks it is. Man, that is the source of life. Fulfillment and satisfaction. No, that is the end that comes from a source of true fulfillment. Does that make sense?

[24:58] If you have a source of fulfillment, you don't need to go and look for it. I don't need to chase that. Because desire is never an end in itself. It must have a source, right? Desire just doesn't exist by it.

[25:12] So like I said about love, you know, love can't exist by itself. I'm super loving. I'm so loving. Would you love anybody? No, I don't love anybody, but I'm very loving. You know, it can't exist by itself.

[25:24] We're told in James, James would write about desire and he said, every man is tempted and this is tempted to sin, not just a trial or a testing. When he's drawn away of his own lust, I put desire there.

[25:36] That's the idea. Every man is tempted when he's drawn away of his own desire and enticed. Then when desire is conceived, it brings forth sin and sin, when it is finished, brings forth to death.

[25:47] Well, that goes right back to what Jesus said. He who seeks to save his life will lose it. If I'm chasing desire, the word of God says, if you go after that desire, it's going to lead to sin. It's going to lead to death. It's not going to lead to the fulfillment you think it's going to.

[26:01] Israel's chasing their desire as they're following. Who are they following? They're following the presence of God. They're living in his presence. They're with God's people and they're following Moses, God's man. And yet look where their heart's at. You can be in the presence of God and in the presence of his people. And yet you can be chasing desire.

[26:20] Expecting God to fulfill my fleshly desires, it even places me at odds with what I think is God's will. I think it's God's will to make me happy. I think it's God's will to fulfill me. And yet Peter tells us, well, let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator. Okay, I can go with that. If it said, wherefore, let them that suffer commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful creator. If I could extract that point that says according to the will of God, God, it can't be your will I suffer. That's not very fulfilling. That's not very satisfactory. That doesn't meet my desire. If I chase my own desires, I don't want to suffer. Man, I can be at odds with God's will in my life. Where God's will is, it is the will of God that we suffer. Not suffering under like the whip of Egypt, but the fact that we're not going to have our desires satisfied at all times. The fact that there's going to be suffering that comes because it's not about me.

[27:22] The flesh will view trials through the eyes of its own fulfillment. Every trial that comes, we've seen that with Israel so far, so far. Every trial, despite the fact that God brings them out of it, they view that trial through the eyes of fulfillment. Is this fulfilling me? No, this isn't fulfilling me. So they gain nothing from it. They've gone through the Red Sea. They've gone through the Red Sea. The walls we read were literally congealed. They saw Pharaoh's army destroyed and they get to the first place where they're not fulfilled and they don't have some water. Well, that's it. That's it.

[27:57] I can't believe it. God hates me. It's over. As they look at their trial through their fulfillment. Am I fulfilled? Okay, God delivers them. They get to Elam. I'm sure they're quite happy at Elam.

[28:08] They're singing praises. Lord, you're so good. Oh, Moses, you're the best. You're amazing. This is great. Two days later, they're in the wilderness and they're complaining again because they're looking at their situation through how it can fulfill them, not through faith. Faith, it knows that true desire comes only because fulfillment has already been accomplished, right? True desire. What do you mean?

[28:33] Desire, desire that's no longer because of a lack, but desire born out of fulfillment. You know, my two favorite parts of the workday during the week, lunch is my second favorite. My first favorite part is going home. That's the best part of the day. I love going home. Why? So I'm thinking, you know what? I think I'm going to try one of the neighbor's houses. I hope it fulfills me.

[28:55] Maybe I'll get a different wife or some different kids or definitely a different cat. Maybe I'll be fulfilled, right? No, I want to go home because it's already fulfilled. I have a desire to be at a place where there's already fulfillment. That is a source of fulfillment. I don't need to go and chase that.

[29:09] But faith knows true desire comes only because fulfillment's already been accomplished. Desire is not because of lack, but because of fulfillment. The idea here is desire is no longer for something, but because of something. Psalm 37, 4 says, delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. That does not mean he's going to give you everything you ever wanted and desired. No, look at the order. Delight yourself also in the Lord. Delight yourself in the Lord. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

[29:44] Put your treasure there. Let him be your delight. Let him be your source of fulfillment. And then what does he do? Man, he gives you desires. He gives you desires that come from a place of fulfillment.

[29:55] I don't have to. Look, I get to. I get to serve the Lord. I get to teach his word. I don't like talking in front of people. I hated when I was a kid. We had to do these 4-H demonstrations and get up in front of people. Man, I don't want to throw up. But I love God's word, and I love teaching God's word. Take that away, and I wouldn't know what to do up here. It'd be very awkward. It's awkward enough doing this. But man, this isn't because I need to be fulfilled. Boy, I hope they show up today so I can do some ministry on them and feel fulfilled. No, because it comes from a source of fulfillment.

[30:29] Because I've been fulfilled, and then God gives me a desire to then take that fulfillment and use it. Such a blessing. Desire fulfilled is when we know what we already have. You see, the flesh, it places desire before fulfillment. It says, well, whatever I want, I need satisfied. I can't be fulfilled until the desire is satisfied. But faith, it does the opposite. It derives its desires from fulfillment. When I'm fulfilled in Christ, then he gives me desires. He puts things on my heart that he is planning already to be fulfilled. Not in the doing of them, but in the fact that I'm fulfilled in him, right? Does anybody need more of Jesus? I'm thinking, well, yeah, I need more of Jesus. But like, do you need more of Jesus? You need more of experiencing his presence in that relationship.

[31:16] But do you need more because he didn't give you enough the first time? It's like, well, Lord, you've been so fulfilling for these last, you know, March 27th was my spiritual birthday. My mom always reminds me of that. I was saving those three, so I'm 40 years a believer, which is kind of sad because I think I should be further along in my walk for 40 years. But it's a huge blessing, right?

[31:42] I think, okay, well, Lord, you've been good for 40 years, but now you're not doing it for me. No, I'm not fulfilled. It's not enough of Jesus. Is there something else? Maybe there's more that you're holding back? No. We have these desires that God puts in our hearts because we have a place of fulfillment. It comes from that place where Jesus is our all in all. There's nothing else that's needed. Psalm 103, verse 2, the psalmist writes, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. He forgives all your iniquities.

[32:12] He heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction. Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies. Who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. And God's the one who's our source of fulfillment. And when he is that source, then there's satisfaction. I don't have to look anywhere else. I don't have to go anywhere else for it. And then as I approach each situation, it's not about, is this situation fulfilling? Is this situation meeting my needs? Oh, wait, I'm already fulfilled. And my needs are already met in Christ. So God, what do you want out of this situation? What do you want to do here, Lord? How do you want to use me? How can I experience more of that fulfillment that I have in Christ, right? Every situation, it's not like, well, I'm just not getting anything out of life because I'm already fulfilled. No, no, not at all. It's that Jesus fulfills every situation. So that's the heart behind what's happening here. Very front loaded message.

[33:06] Where Israel's at. And I think it's good that we know where they're at. They approach that place with bitterness, understanding where their heart's at. I think it's good to understand and realize where they're at right now, still with this idea that they have to be fulfilled and satisfied. That's why God delivered them, they think, to satisfy them, to fulfill them. And God's having to teach them these lessons. And where do they learn those? In the wilderness, in the wilderness.

[33:30] And the Lord said unto Moses, behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day that I may prove them. I may try them, that I may test them.

[33:42] Remember, he said the same things at the water of Meribah. Would they drink? Sip by sip, faith by faith. Would they drink? That would test them. That I may prove them whether they will walk in my law or no. Remarkably, the Lord doesn't say, Moses, go and tell those people. If they don't shape up, we're going back to Egypt. What is it? He says, okay, I see they have a need. I say, well, okay, he's just going to fulfill their need? He's just going to give them whatever they want? No, not at all.

[34:12] Look what he says. He says, I see there's a need, a legitimate need, and I will fulfill that need, and I'll satisfy that need, but it will be according to what? According to God's word and according to his provision. See, the flesh is not meant to be satisfied or satiated, but it is meant to be sanctified. And so God said, I see that need, and I'm going to meet that need, but I'm going to do it in a sanctified way. Where the flesh expects life to be all about satisfaction and gratification, faith, it starts from a place where it's already satisfied and gratified. And then it's free to pursue something other than satisfaction and gratification.

[34:49] What do we pursue now? And we pursue sanctification and glorification. We pursue true fulfillment. Romans chapter eight, Paul would write and says that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. There's a promised life that we have, and that wilderness part, that flesh part can't come with it. For they that are after the flesh, they do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit.

[35:17] God had answered Israel's demand in the flesh with his word and with his provision. The first step for us on that road to fulfillment is always responding to God's word.

[35:30] Righteousness of the law that was fulfilled in us came how? It came through the spirit and came through the word of God. We know that God's provision is never meant to satisfy the flesh. Why?

[35:41] Because as Galatians says, they're contrary one to the other. You can't, the two can't coexist. Wilderness Israel cannot be promised land Israel. God's provision is not meant to satisfy the flesh, and it never will, but it is meant to satisfy our souls. In Psalm 33, beginning in verse 18, we write, Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. God is something so much bigger than just our current need and satisfaction. Now, does God want to meet our current needs? Of course, of course he does. But the reason is never just for our own satisfaction. Interesting. They wanted flesh pots. You know, they wanted their Chick-fil-A, and God says, I'll provide for you. Yes, I'm going to rain bread from heaven. What? That's not normal, Lord. That's not how I wanted provision to come.

[36:39] Wait, wait, wait. We're going to find this out next week as we, we're only going to get through verse 10 today, by the way, guys. You know, I don't want to have to go out and collect it every day. Can't it just show up on my table? It's not for us to determine God's method of provision, right? We don't get to decide that. I don't, I don't want to come by the cross. I wanted to come by good works. You know, I want to become, come because I'm a super neat and organized person.

[37:04] I'm not, but I don't want to come by that, the cross. But our part, it's interesting what Keller prayed. Our part in God's provision is just participation. It's just to reach out and to receive it. That's all we get to do. We do not get to decide how it comes. God's provision was a source that was unending. It was sufficient. It was satisfying. It was a miraculous, but it had to be appropriated and to be appropriated one person at a time. As he says here to Moses, I'm going to use this to prove my people, if they will walk in my law or not. The source was miraculous, but the receiving of it was very natural, right? The source of our salvation was so miraculous.

[37:47] How did we receive that? It's very natural. We just put our faith in it. No rituals, nothing, just no having to give money. Israel's work in God's provision was simply the process of participation. As Paul writes in Ephesians chapter two, for by grace, you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. But that provision must be personally appropriated. Just as we saw at Marah, each person had to drink.

[38:19] Well, so it's the same. As they are going to collect manna day by day, God's miraculous provision, God's unending, sufficient, satisfying, miraculous provision of salvation had to be appropriated person by person. John 3.16. I think we can just quote that without putting it up there, but there it is.

[38:39] For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever should believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. There we see God's sources, unending, sufficient, satisfying, miraculous, but you have to appropriate it through faith. You have to receive it.

[38:59] Lamentations. Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations. And in chapter three, he writes, It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. Because his compassions fail not, they are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul.

[39:14] Therefore will I hope in him. It is God who's our portion. Daily, moment by moment, day by day. Jesus would tell us to pray. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

[39:26] Give us this day, our daily bread. Our desire is for God's will to be satisfied, not my own. But I am the one by which God has chosen to appropriate that first to myself and to bring that into the world. Crazy. The provision and faith of yesterday, it must be renewed and appropriated today. God is going to place something in front of Israel. They want to be satisfied. They want to be fulfilled. They want it to be done forever. He's like, look, I'm going to give you a source, but you're going to have to daily partake of it. Daily walking by faith. Daily, you're going to have to crucify self and the flesh to receive God's provision. And it shall come to pass that on the sixth day, verse five, they shall prepare that which they bring in. It shall be twice as much as they gather daily. So he says, okay, when they go out to get this bread that's going to come from heaven, every day they got to pick it up. But on the sixth day, gather twice as much because I'm going to have some leftover for the Sabbath day. Remember, Israel's been in Egypt for hundreds of years, centuries. They've not been celebrating a Sabbath. Egypt didn't let them celebrate a

[40:31] Sabbath. They need to learn this now. God's provision always has behind it a greater purpose than just fulfillment. God's provision is pointing to the provider, but it also leads us to rest. When we enter into God's provision, we enter into a place of rest. Hebrews 4.10 says, for he that has entered into his rest, Jesus's, he's also ceased from his own works, as God does from his. As I enter into the fulfillment, the finished work of God's work and his rest, God's provision leads to a place of rest.

[41:03] I don't have to work for it. I don't have to, I don't have to do the work to gain it. I do have to participate. And Moses said unto Aaron and all the children of Israel, okay, guys, God's spoken to me, and I'm going to speak to you. Now, whenever it says, and Moses and Aaron, it's Moses speaking to Aaron and Aaron to the people. At evening, you shall know that the Lord has brought you out from the land of Egypt. And in the morning, you shall see the glory of the Lord, but that he hears your murmurings against the Lord. And what are we that you murmur against us? Guys, God knows you're murmuring against him. You're not murmuring against me. But at morning and evening, he says, Psalm 55.16, David would write, as for me, I call upon God and the Lord shall save me evening and morning. And at noon, will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voice. It's a continual thing, continual provision. It's not enough. Come to church once a week. You're like, well, I'm going to store it all up. I was thinking about that recently. I've, you know, in studying, I was trying to get ahead with a bunch of different studies and stuff. And at some point I realized, man, I'm trying to collect all this manna and store it up, store it up and be like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Instead of just as it comes, you know, studying and it was good to get ahead. But I realized, Lord, I don't know what you're going to want to speak at that time. I'm studying your word, but it's evening and morning and noon.

[42:20] God's provision, it declares something very particular about our God. That he's a God of grace. God's remedy for Israel's murmuring was not to withhold. Neither was it to give them what they want, but to provide what they need. You know, it's like, fine. You don't like what mom's cooking for you. You're not eating tonight. You can, then that'll teach you. You don't need to eat.

[42:41] No way. But the other, the other side is just as bad. Just give them what they want to keep them quiet. God doesn't do that. The remedy wasn't to give them what they want or to withhold, but to give them what they need. And God knew that. God exceeds our expectations, not by satisfying our desires, but by redirecting them into something that's truly satisfying. He redirects them into himself.

[43:03] Our true satisfaction is found in knowing God and knowing his glory. As Moses and Aaron come and say, hey, you're going to know, you're going to see God's glory. You're going to know your God and you're going to know his provision. And Moses said, verse eight, this shall be, he's saying this through Aaron to the people, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat and the morning bread to the full. This is how you're going to see this. This is how you're going to know who your God is.

[43:27] God's provision, it provides perspective, doesn't it? Moses didn't say, I'm going to provide for you. He said, it's the Lord who's going to provide for you. Philippians 4, 19, but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. Don't look to Paul to supply your need. Don't look to Moses. Please don't look to me. For the Lord hears your murmurings, which you murmur against him. And what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord. So Moses has now twice said this, like, guys, you're coming against me, but it's not me. Was Moses a man of God? Moses was a man of God. Was Moses leading God's people? He was leading God's people. But what made Moses a man of God? Well, I hear he had a degree. I hear he went to school. I hear he's super righteous and holy. He was just a faithful shepherd in the wilderness. And God said, hey, I've got a calling for you. And he responded to it in faith. Moses was a man of God, but men of God exist only because of their God. No man of God exists because of himself. It's only because of their God.

[44:29] So for Israel, when they lodge this complaint against Moses, it's not against Moses because Moses isn't choosing to do this. Their complaint was against God. It's the same. When we choose to complain against God's people, be careful. Maybe complaining against God, you know, this person sat next to me again. I can't believe it. I try to get away from them. Oh, it's my kids.

[44:50] No. It's like, oh my word. Be careful. Maybe it's the person that God put in your life because his source and idea of fulfillment is different than yours.

[45:03] Murmuring does not reveal, as we said last week, discontent and does not reveal a deficiency in God. It reveals my heart. It reveals a deficiency in me. And Moses spake unto Aaron, verse nine, say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, come near before the Lord, for he has heard your murmurings. Now, in my natural mind, I think this is like, come here. I heard what you said.

[45:28] You know, it's like, oh man, but this is not it at all. He's saying, come near. God is saying, hey, come near. I've heard, I know what your need is. I know you're not satisfied. I know what your complaint is. I know you're not fulfilled. And what is the answer? What is the solution God gives for fulfillment? Just draw near. Draw near to God. Moses and Aaron, they wisely cast themselves and this whole problem onto the Lord. They don't project like they have any idea what's going on.

[45:58] They say, hey, draw near to the Lord. God's answer to all of our needs is nearness. The closer we draw to God, the closer we draw to the source of our fulfillment.

[46:10] God had called Israel, murmuring Israel, near, not for punishment, not for a lecture, but for grace, for grace. Hebrews 4.16 says, let us therefore come boldly under the throne of grace. Let us draw near that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. God knows our need. God's already got the fulfillment and the sufficiency that we don't have, the satisfaction we're looking for.

[46:40] When we grumble and complain, and when we realize we've been grumbling and complaining, because maybe a man of God, like Moses, points out and says, you're murmuring and complaining against God. That's not easy to hear all the time. But when we realize that, go, no, now what?

[46:54] Well, maybe I need to read my Bible an hour a day for two weeks. Then I'll draw near to God, just to kind of even things out. No, we draw near. God's provision for us is as we draw near. God's care for us is as we draw near. God's presence is as we draw near. And God's grace is as we draw near.

[47:15] Psalm 68.19 says, blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation, just as he daily will be providing for Israel, says. We'll see more about that next week.

[47:26] But every day, God has benefits for us. But if we don't draw near, or we're not willing to receive them, maybe we're holding on to a past fulfillment. Maybe we're looking forward to a future fulfillment, and maybe God has something for us right now, because life is so daily. God's provision is daily, and God's care is daily, and God's presence is daily, and his grace is daily.

[47:48] Philippians 4.13 says, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. And in the Jared version, daily. God wants to do that daily.

[48:01] And then verse 10, as we round this up. And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel. It's one of the few times we really get that, that it's like, hey, this is Aaron that's speaking.

[48:12] Whenever God speaks to Moses, Moses then speaks to Aaron, and Moses kind of stands there, you know, as God's speaking through Moses to Aaron. Aaron then speaks. Both Aaron and Moses are faithful to speak God's word, even when they're being falsely accused, even when they're being murmured against. They put it all over onto the Lord. As we said last week, committing ourselves to him that judges justly. And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness. Behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. Where was his glory seen? In the wilderness. I don't want to be in the wilderness. God's glory is in the wilderness. God's provision is in the wilderness. And when did it appear? Well, it appeared with his word. As God's word came to Moses and Aaron, God's glory came as well. God's glory came in response to need. There was a need. And God said, hey, draw near. God's glory came after a promise was given. Did I promise you? I have a promise. This is how we're going to do this.

[49:16] I'm going to provide for you. And it came for the purpose of grace. But interestingly, God's glory came before fulfillment. They had a need and he responded to that need. There was a promise given and there is the purpose of grace. But there had not yet been the full fulfillment of that. Jesus turning to the disciples said, will you two leave me? After all the other disciples had left because he said, hey, you got to eat my body and drink my blood. They're like, this is crazy. We're out of here.

[49:44] Those are hard sayings. And Peter said, Lord, to whom shall we go? You're the words of life. They may be crazy words. You're going to rain bread from heaven. I got to eat your flesh, drink your blood.

[49:55] But those are the words of life. And we believe and are sure that you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Paul would write in Romans chapter six, he says, if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more, death has no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once, but in that he lives, he lives unto God. God sent his glory, the glory of his only begotten son. He sent him in response to need. He sent him after a promise. He sent him for the purpose of grace.

[50:27] But have we received the fulfillment of that? Well, yes, in part. We are completely fulfilled in Jesus. We've received that salvation. But man, we've not yet received the fulfillment of being with him, of him being with us, of that final promise. Continuing in Romans chapter six, likewise, because God has sent his son in response to need and after promise and for the purpose of grace, likewise, reckon you also yourself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, but you should obey it in the lusts or in the desires thereof. Yes, God's glory came in response to our need after a promise and for the purpose of grace. And what does that give us the opportunity to do? Man, it gives us fulfillment.

[51:15] It gives us new desires. It gives us an opportunity to live in a way we could not have without it. Now, how do we do that? We draw near. Just draw near. Let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. The idea that need has been fulfilled. We can draw near with a true heart and a full assurance of faith. We don't have to worry about a lecture. We don't have to worry about God withholding.

[51:47] He knows our need. You see, the closer we draw to God, the closer we draw to the source of true fulfillment of a guaranteed satisfaction. Israel thought their satisfaction was going to be what God could give them, what God could do for them. They didn't know it was found in him himself. They were looking somewhere else.

[52:06] We live in a world that'll tell you, you can be satisfied. You can be a satisfaction guaranteed, stamped right on the product. And then three paragraphs of small print you can't read at the bottom that walks back that guaranteed satisfaction. The world says in this relationship, in this person, in this, my heart says, if I could just get that one more Amazon package, I'd be fulfilled.

[52:30] But that's not true satisfaction. There's no guarantee in that. How do we know? Because we continue to lose life. The throne of grace is the place of guaranteed satisfaction. It's a place we can freely come because God freely gives. God does not call us near for punishment. He doesn't call us for a lecture. He calls us for grace. Remember the flesh, the flesh will place desire before fulfillment.

[52:54] How do you know if you're living according to the flesh or the spirit? Well, are you placing desire before fulfillment? Is that the only way you're going to be desired if you get that thing? But if you don't, do you still have fulfillment? Faith, it derives its desires from fulfillment. Because I'm fulfilled, oh, I have so many wonderful desires God has given me, but I don't need them to be fulfilled.

[53:18] Psalm 37, 4, delight yourself in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Father, thank you so much that our delight is in you, Lord. Maybe I don't always feel that, but I don't care.

[53:31] I'm not letting my heart lead me. I'm choosing to place my treasure there. Where my treasure is, there will my heart be also. Jesus, you are my treasure. You are my hope and you are my God. All of my needs and all of my fulfillment, all of my provision, Lord, you've got it all taken care of. Lord, life can feel dry. It can feel prickly. It can feel hard and it can seem like a wilderness.

[53:56] And sin is always there, Lord. Ready to tempt and try me. But it's not meant to overwhelm me. Lord, I thank you that you are our source of fulfillment and satisfaction. Lord, as we journey with Israel, as we see their heart be revealed to them, Lord, as we see you step in with the remedy every time, the remedy for bitterness, the remedy for satisfaction, Lord. You are that remedy.

[54:20] Lord, I thank you that we have seen the glory of the Lord in the face of Jesus Christ. Not physically yet. That fulfillment is still to come. But Lord, we have been fulfilled because we have seen you face to face in the Spirit, in your Word. Lord, as we live not in the promised land, but as we live in a promised life, the life of the Spirit, Lord, I pray that we would let go of the things of the past.

[54:44] So we let go of the desires and nature of the flesh. Lord, it's contrary. And it makes us contrary. He who sows of the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. There's no other alternative.

[54:59] So, Lord, we don't want to try and save our life. We don't want to try and fill our life and fulfill our life. We're just going to continue to lose. But, Lord, we just ask, Lord, as we let go of that, as we let go of trying to fulfill and satisfy and gratify ourselves, Lord, and we look to you, Jesus, we have that wonderful promise that we will gain life. We will gain a new life.

[55:22] It will be your life, which satisfies us to the fullest. Thank you, Lord. Lord, as we worship you now, as we close in song, Lord, just thank you for your grace. That you draw us near, Lord, not for a lecture. Lord, I give myself enough of a lecture. Oh, I should have been grumbling. Lord, I should have been trusting you. Lord, you draw us near for grace, not a lecture. And, Lord, you don't draw us near to withhold anything, to say, you know what? You could have had this if you had a little more faith.

[55:50] But no, Lord, you draw us near for grace. So, I pray, Lord, whatever is going on in our hearts today, Lord, whatever thing we're looking at is maybe that'll satisfy. Lord, if there's something we're holding on to in the past that was what we thought satisfactory, Lord, I pray we'd let it go.

[56:05] We draw near to you, Lord. Lord, your grace is sufficient for me. I thank you for that. And in Jesus' name, amen. Would God have provided for Israel if they didn't murmur and grumble and complain?

[56:21] Yes. Did God have it in his heart to care for their needs? Yes. What do they need to do? Just ask him, right? God wants us to learn the wilderness lessons so that we can live in the promised life, right? Next week, it'll be a little lighter. Next week's God's provision, right? But Israel's going to murmur again, and God's going to provide for them again. And each step as he does it, we're going to see as his fulfillment is greater and greater and greater as he continues to display that grace to them. The other thing I want to point out real quick is they're all a bunch of grumblers together, right? It wasn't like, you know what? I got God's word. I've got God's presence.

[56:58] I'm going to go off into the wilderness myself and search for his glory. They're all together. That grumbling person next to you, man, they're God's people. And God wanted them to be in the congregation together, traveling together through the wilderness. So that's what we're here for.

[57:13] We're here together to do this. And if you need prayer, of course you need prayer. Pray. Find someone to pray with. I need prayer. We need that. Finish that equation. Continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, in fellowship, breaking of bread, and in prayer. We're not alone. God's with us, and we've got each other, right? And it's okay. Like, you know what? I've been murmuring.

[57:33] You probably have good reason to, but God's got an answer for it, and it's his grace. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you. The Lord be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace. God bless you.

[57:47] Amen.