Sermon 240616

磐石出水 Water from the Rock

出埃及记 Exo 17:1–7

Remember these points

I put these points at the top of my sermon-prep template to remind myself every week:

Show that main point of passage relates to Jesus and his saving work
(1 Cor 1:18) A truly gospel-centred message will not be acceptable in a synagogue or mosque
Did I proclaim the gospel as the headline news of the sermon, rather than as a “by the way…”?
Unbelievers are called to repent, believe, and be saved
Believers are encouraged to abandon their old self, renew their minds, put on the new self in Christ
Preach simple sermons, so that God’s people can see Christ more clearly and love him more dearly

References

News

Hook

Would you test God?

Passage

Outline

Section 1 没有水喝 No Water to Drink 17:1–3

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They followed YHWH’s commands as he led them through the wilderness.

Stop after stop (pull up tent pegs, move to next stop, set up tent, etc.)

Rephidim: we’re not sure where it is.

Quarrel, dispute (like bringing a lawsuit).

It’s like they think Moses can just produce water whenever they need it, or that he’s hiding water from them!

Earlier, it was YHWH testing them, but now it’s them testing God

So ironic: They feared that their children will die in the wilderness, but it ended up it’s their generation who will die, while their children gets to go into the Promised Land.

Lessons

If it was you (instead of Moses), what would you do?
We begin to see this people’s rebelliousness,
to the point when YHWH was so upset that he forbid them to enter the Promised Land (Num 14).
Sometimes we need to confirm God’s wish, so it’s OK to ask or to test things.
But if such questions or tests are out of unbelieve, then it’s the beginning of rebelliousness.
E.g., Compare Zechariah and Maria (Luke 1:20, etc.)