Sunday Sermon
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Sunday morning 15th july 2007
joshua 5v12.
The thrust of our text today tells us that God is
the Faithful Providing God: he took care of the
Israelites - even when they rebelled and he takes care
of us too.
Do you need someone to look after you? To provide for
you? To give you life meaning and purpose?
Then this verse is for you. What does it tell us?
1) God is faithful to his promises:
“The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from
the land; ”
40 years before this statement God had made a promise to
the people through Moses
“Exodus 3:7-8 7 The
LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people
in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their
slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.
8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of
the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into
a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and
honey.”
He had come to the rescue of a poor downtrodden enslaved
nation.
You know the story of the escape from Egypt.
Then the nation had rebelled against God. They kept
testing Him and doubting Him.
Eventually they were punished and not allowed to
enter the Promised Land.
However, that generation had all now died v6.
Now another generation were ready to take position
of the Promised Land.
So what do we find?
The new generation have been circumcised v2 -
outward sign of the covenant now renewed.
They have celebrated the Passover v10, to remind
them of Gods deliverance.
Now they are enjoying the fruit of Gods
faithfulness!
What does this tell us?
God is graciously faithful.
After all that has gone before, God is now fulfilling
his promises.
Note the way he goes about it.
He does not stop the manna and then feed them from the
land.
1st he lets them feed off the land and then -
when they know they will be supplied - he stops the
manna.
This is God. He treats us graciously!
We do not deserve his kindness and favour, but he gives
it to us freely anyway.
The Israelites may have worried that the manna had
stopped before they eat of the harvest!
But God knows what they are like so prevents that
situation from arising!
He knows what you are like too.
He knows your worries and concerns.
He asks you to not worry, but to trust!
Will you trust him?
2) this verse tells us something else about God: it
tells us he is provides.
“there was no longer any manna for
the Israelites,
but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.”
The manna came in the first place, after the people
had grumbled against God.
“Exodus 16:3-4 3
The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the
LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat round pots of meat
and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us
out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to
death." 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I
will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are
to go out each day and gather enough for that day…”
He forgave their faithlessness and still supplied
their needs. He provided for them, took care of
them!
Now in this changed environment God continues to supply
their needs.
He had not changed!
Physically the people needed food and water. God
supplied it all.
“they ate of the produce of Canaan.”
This was the fuller blessing for those who were
faithful.
Not just the same food day after day, although that was
miraculous, now the diverse range of produce!
Ultimately this points more to Gods character than
the peoples faithfulness.
His blessing is not diminishing but
increasing!
He does not give us less and less but more and more!
So God is faithful to his promises and being
faithful to his promises means that He will
supply all our needs!
What does all this mean for today for you?
What is your greatest need today?
Your greatest need is your spiritual need. You need
God. You need him to provide for you.
All of this about manna and produce from the land is
meant to point us to Gods ultimate provision:
the Lord Jesus Christ.
“John 6:33-35 33 For
the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and
gives life to the world." 34 "Sir," they said, "from now
on give us this bread." 35 Then Jesus declared, "I am
the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go
hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
”
The Israelites had Manna, then they had the produce of
the land. Wonderful! Great!
But now. We have Jesus!
He will supply all of your needs.
What does he promise?
"I am the bread of life. He who
comes to me will never go hungry, and he who
believes in me will never be thirsty. ”
Will you “come”. Will you “believe”?
The human soul has an astonishing need to be
satisfied and fulfilled!
When that need is not met by Jesus then we have all
kinds of fall out.
All the loneliness / addiction / sadness / boredom /
grief / trouble etc. come from souls that are out of
control because they are unsatisfied - hungry and
thirsty.
Your souls may be satisfied from time to time -
through family, friends, hobbies.
But at the end of the day - you will still have this
aching need!
When you feel that aching need - go to Jesus. He is
faithful. He will provide.
sunday evening 15th july 2007
Mat 13v44
Mat 13v44: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like
treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and
hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that
he has and buys that field.”
Intro:
Kingdom of heaven - very important theme for
Matthew.
Here Jesus is giving lots of parables to explain
what it is like.
A kingdom is where a king has rule.
The kingdom of heaven is where God has his rule:
- thus it is in the highest heavens but also in the
lives of everyone who follows Jesus.
Thrust of the verse:
- this rule of God is inestimably valuable.
Treasure. It brings great reward - Joy.
And demands total commitment.
Original Context:
The disciples were being told how valuable the
kingdom was. An encouragement to know it was all
worth while! The rewards were worth the demands.
The demands don’t even figure, the treasure is
so much more valuable.
relevant for us:
not chasing fools gold! Not wasting our time. All
our sacrifices are worth while. Cannot have the
treasure without the sacrifice.
The joy of the kingdom - serving the king is
wonderful today still.
Holding back will lessen your joy in the kingdom.
God wants you to be fully committed.
To the text: the text tells us three things about
the Kingdom.
1) the kingdom of Heaven is Valuable:
Thus it is called “treasure”
No banks in those days. People would hid their
treasure in the ground, if an army invaded! All
their important things hidden in the ground.
The kingdom is the important thing. The rule of God
is all important.
It is inestimably valuable.
The man in the parable recognised the value
of the treasure thus he hid it again.
He did not want anyone else to get it.
The K of H is of great value to all who find it.
Why?
A) it is life. Life with God. In the kingdom we need
not worry about anything.
The kingdom answers all our needs.
In the kingdom we find our true place in the
universe under the rule of the King.
What about you?
Do you recognise the value of the kingdom?
You need to see its value before you desire it,
before you find it.
Some of us may just walk over the treasure - no idea
it is there! What a tragedy.
2) the kingdom of Heaven is Veiled: It is
hidden.
This is simply a fact.
Not everyone sees it! Not every one acknowledges the
rule of God.
See the Parable of the Sower. Mat 13:
V19 - a lack of understanding, veils the kingdom.
V21 - no root. No commitment! Trouble & persecution
veils the kingdom.
V22 - worries of life. Deceitfulness of wealth. Veil
the kingdom.
The Kingdom of heaven is veiled to such as these.
This hidden aspect of the KG explains why so
many do not see it!
We who are in the KG see and understand! We
don’t know how others can live without it!
But the kingdom is hidden from them!
3) yet the kingdom is still Vulnerable.
People can still get into the kingdom.
It can be found: it is not treasure that is hidden
in Fort Knox!
The kingdom is open to all who want to come!
“Matthew 11:12 12 From the days of
John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven
has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay
hold of it.”
You need to recognise its value.
It will not close its doors on any who want to
come!
It is hidden but it can be found if you look!
Application:
The demands of the kingdom:
The man sold all he had!
The Lord Jesus demands our total 100% commitment!
Anything of real value is worth committing to.
Caleb’s reward - Josh 14v14 “So Hebron has
belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite
ever since, because he followed the LORD, the
God of Israel, wholeheartedly. ”
The encouragement of the kingdom
Fullness of joy.
The man was not sad that he had to sell all he had
to buy the field!
He knew how much better off he was with the
treasure!
That is what life is like in the kingdom.
We are so much better off!
The 100% commitment is not worth comparing to the
treasure!
The reward outweighs the work!
