Today - Ajay Chakravarthy - October 20, 2019
http://rlcfchurch.org/today River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The speaker uses the Israelites' journey through the Red Sea and subsequent complaints to illustrate the human tendency to forget God's provision and the faithfulness of leaders. He emphasizes that while the people initially celebrated God's deliverance, they quickly returned to grumbling, even after being provided for. The central message is that constant complaining and forgetting past miracles hinder faith, contrasting their initial worship with their later murmuring.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
How did Moses respond to false accusations from the people?When Pharaoh increased their burdens and the Israelites accused Moses of putting a sword in Pharaoh's hand, Moses never justified himself before others; instead, he took his complaint directly to God.
From singing and dancing to immediate grumblingAfter witnessing the Red Sea part and singing praises and dancing with Miriam, the Israelites quickly forgot God's provision and grumbled against Moses because they lacked water.
Despising God's provision of manna with a railing accusationSix hundred thousand men and their families wept and complained against God and Moses, calling the manna miserable food and making railing accusations that God brought them out to kill them.
Opposition from Miriam, Aaron, and KorahEven Moses's own relatives Miriam and Aaron, as well as respected leaders like Korah and his followers, rose up with complaints against Moses, who again fell on his face rather than defending himself.
Why are the examples of the Israelites written for us?Though the Israelites partook of spiritual food and drink, God was not well pleased with most of them, serving as an example so we do not crave evil things or grumble as they did.
Do you care that we are perishing?The disciples in the boat showed the same spirit as the Israelites by asking if Jesus cared that they were perishing, failing to understand the insight behind Jesus's miracles like feeding the multitudes.
God's testimony of a generation that loathed His provisionBecause the Israelites called God's provision miserable and tested Him repeatedly, God testified that they were a people who erred in their heart and did not know His ways.
Caleb and Joshua had a different spiritUnlike the rebellious generation that tested God ten times and wandered for forty years, Caleb and Joshua followed God fully and possessed a completely different spirit.Numbers 14:22–24
Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heartGod offers forgiveness and righteousness to anyone who repents today, contrasting with the Israelites who heard God's voice for forty years but never took advantage of a 'today' to change.Ezekiel 18:21–23
Taking hold of 'today' like Zacchaeus and the thief on the crossJust like Zacchaeus and the thief on the cross who experienced salvation and transformation on their 'today' despite their past, believers must hold fast to the confidence that God cares and not harden their hearts.
