How to Get to the Promised Land

It's hard to believe we're already in the third day of the Days of Unleavened Bread.

After tomorrow, we'll be over halfway through that period of time.

We all realize that the Days of Unleavened Bread picture coming out of sin.

Israel came out of Egypt. That is analogous, as we know, to our coming out of this world, society, traditions, customs, way of life, and beginning to go God's way.

Now, the Bible indicates when Israel came out of Egypt, they came out with great boldness and with a high hand. There was a great deal of excitement and joy on their behalf.

They'd been a slave people. They were free at last from Egyptian domination, from Pharaoh, and they were truly looking forward to freedom.

However, a whole generation, all of those who were 20 and over, did not make it into the Promised Land.

Why? Why didn't they make it? I mean, God brought them out with the purpose of leading them to the Promised Land, and yet we find they didn't make it. Why did they miss out?

Is it possible for us to miss out also? Because we find their example is in the Bible, so that we can learn from it. What mistakes did the Israelites make? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, what did they do wrong? And is there something that we could learn from that, so that we don't repeat the same mistakes? What can we do to avoid missing the Promised Land, or the Kingdom of God? We are the peoples of Israel, spiritual Israel today. We are headed for the Kingdom of God. I think there are many lessons that we can learn from the days of Unleavened Bread, and you began to study. One of the major lessons is to make sure that we make the Kingdom.

Let's go over to 1 Corinthians 10 to begin with, and verse 1. I want you to notice that here's a chapter that is written that summarizes some of the difficulties that Israel had, that you and I could be learning from. 1 Corinthians 10, beginning here in verse 1, says, Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and they ate the same spiritual food.

They all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them.

That rock was Christ. But with most of them, God was not well pleased.

Now, we don't want God saying that about us, do we? That God looks down and says, well, with most of us, I'm not well pleased. Well, the Israelites, that's exactly what he said, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Everywhere you looked in the wilderness, you know, there were 10 who were dead over here, a few hundred over there, and what you find, that older generation, died. They did not please God. What does that mean? What did they do to incur his disfavor?

We know that our thoughts, our actions, our attitudes have to be pleasing to God. So how do we please God? Notice in verse 6, it says, now these things became our examples.

So these are examples to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Now, I want you to notice to begin with that God is saying we should not repeat the same mistakes they made. We shouldn't do the same things they did. The only reason history is written down is so we can learn from it. We can learn the good examples, we can learn from the bad examples, and then if they're bad, we don't repeat the same things. They're good.

We do repeat them. So notice one of the first things that they did, the Bible says, is that they lusted. So they had a problem with the flesh. Verse 7 goes on to substantiate that.

It says, and do not become idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did in one day 23,000 fell. So what we have here are problems of the flesh are identified. All of us, as human beings, are subject to the pulls of the flesh. As we read back in 1 John 2, 1516, you have the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

So you find here that the Israelites apparently did not exercise a lot of self-control in these areas. Now in verse 9, we find another problem. It says, and let us not tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents. What does it mean to tempt God?

Have you and I ever tempted God by our actions? And then verse 10, it says, Nor complain, as some of them also complain, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

So they complained, they murmured, they grumbled, they griped.

You read almost every chapter, like 2nd verse, 3rd verse, 4th verse. They just continued in that direction. Now verse 11 summarizes it and said, Now all of these things happen to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

So rather than these are examples to us who instruct us, teach us, so that we can learn.

And during this period of time of the days of Unleavened Bread, as we began to focus, on coming out of this world, ensuring that we're not being overrun by the world and the society around us, and that we are to put sin out, here are examples that we can learn from.

There's a chapter in the Old Testament, in fact, in the book of Psalms, that summarizes the problems that Israel had. And I'm sure that many of you can remember where that chapter is.

Let's go back to Psalm 78. Psalm 78 will begin in verse 5.

And I want you to notice, here's a whole chapter that was written.

To summarize it, this is a good chapter to go back and read just occasionally, because it certainly points out some of the difficulties that Israel had.

And we'll find here an admonition also to us.

Verse 5, he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel when he commanded our fathers that they should make them known to their children. So, as we saw in the camp video, we are to pass on insight and knowledge and experience and wisdom to our children. We need to teach them God's way of life. That the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they might arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God. Now, why does God want us to pass on to the next generation, to our children, our grandchildren, His way of life? Well, notice again that they might set their hope in God. We hope that our children will follow God's way of life, will be baptized, will want to serve Him, keep the Sabbath and the Holy Days, for they're good, not just to join a group, but for they're good, that they would go God's way. So, it says that they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God and keep His commandments. One of the things that the Israelites did was they forgot. They constantly were forgetting what God had done for them previous, and as a result, they stumbled. Now, verse 8, And may not be like their fathers, so what was wrong with that generation, their fathers?

A stubborn and rebellious generation. So, here was a group of people who were stubborn. They were said in their ways, what does stubbornness mean? Well, it means you want your way.

You don't care what God has to say or what His law says. Our instruction, you want your way and rebellious generation to rebel against what they were told. A generation that did not set its heart aright and whose spirit was not faithful to God. So, they didn't set their heart aright, and they were not faithful. The expression about setting the heart aright in the Hebrew means to establish the heart, to make the heart ready, or prepared. They didn't prepare their heart. They didn't make their heart right. Notice the NIV, how it translates this verse. It says, whose hearts were not loyal to God and whose spirit were not faithful to Him. The new American Standard Version says, a generation that did not prepare its heart. They didn't get their heart right or prepare their heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God. What is God looking for in His people today? Is it not a right heart before Him? And is it not a group of people who are faithful, who will remain faithful to the calling that He has given to us? Now, in verse 36, tying in with this, verse 36 says, nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth. So here we find the Israelites talked a lot about God. They flattered Him. They sort of praised Him with their mouth, but they lied to Him with their tongue, and their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant. So they were not faithful to the calling to the covenant that God had given to them. Let's back up to verse 10 again, and we'll find this picking up the story here. Verse 10, they did not keep the covenant of God. They refused to walk in His law, and they forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them. Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. He divided the sea and caused them to pass through.

He made the water stand up like a heap. In the daytime, He led them with the cloud in it, all the night with a light of fire. You see, they forgot the miracles that God did for them.

Now, you just stop and think, if you had lived back at that time, and God was bringing you out of Egypt, just like He was bringing two to three million Israelites out, there were ten miracles that were performed in the land of Egypt. They saw the rivers turn to blood. They saw the frogs, the gnats, the animals dying, the firstborn dying, all of this. What happened when they came to the Red Sea?

They forgot about all of that. God had done this, and they forgot what God had done, and they thought, oh no, you brought us out here to destroy us. And so, they forgot.

Now, God performed daily miracles for them. They had manna every day. Their shoes did not wear out.

They had the first immortal souls, so to speak. Their clothes did not wear out.

They were led by a cloud in the daytime, and a cloud of fire at night. So, they had no doubt where God was. I mean, He was there. They saw this going on all the time. Look at the separation that God made between the Egyptians and the Israelites. They suffered the first three plagues.

After that, they were spared. God spared them. The firstborn of the Egyptians were killed.

All of these things happened, and yet, they didn't believe God. Verse 22. Notice, because they did not believe in God, they did not trust in His salvation.

They didn't trust that He could save them, that He would lead them and guide them.

In verse 32, in spite of this, they still sinned, and they did not believe in His wondrous works.

Even though they saw them. I mean, this wasn't something. It's not like me reading from the Bible, and you say, yeah, that happened. Maybe it happened. You know, I never saw it. I don't know.

It wasn't that time. I mean, that's the way critics are today concerning the Bible.

They saw all of this, but their eyes, they experienced it, and yet, they still did not believe. Back up to verse 17. We read, they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the most high in the wilderness, and they tested God in their hearts by asking for food of their fancy.

Yes, they spoke against God, and they said, can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

Now, you know, I know that God can part the Red Sea. I know that God can kill the firstborn.

I know God can turn a river to blood, but can He provide food for us?

And so, you know, they doubted God. They did not believe Him. In verse 40, How often they provoked Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert, and again and again they tempted God, and they limited the Holy One of Israel. And they did not remember His power the day when He redeemed them from the enemy. And so, they forgot. Now, notice the words, they tested God, they limited God. The word limited in the Hebrew means to pain, to wound, to trouble, or to cause pain. Now, not that God goes around all the time saying, when we do something wrong, oh, that hurt me. But their attitude and their approach cause God pain.

And you would think that they would respond, our unbelief causes God pain. Also, the word test or tempted means just that. It means to try or to test, but to the proof.

There are many lessons that I think that we can learn from this chapter if you go through it, but I want us to concentrate on two major things out of this chapter. Number one, they did not believe God. They forgot what God had done for them. Consequently, their actions were not pleasing to God. And number two, they also tempted God, and tested God.

Now, what is wrong with testing God? Doesn't God and Malachi 3.10 tell us, put me to the test, pay your tithes and your offerings? What did the Israelites do wrong when they tested God? Well, we want to answer those questions, plus many others, as we move along here. In Numbers 14, let's go back to some of these examples.

You remember that God brought Israel out of Egypt, and they would have almost immediately gone into the Promised Land. That was God's intention. Well, they came to Moses and suggested to send spies in. So chapter 13, they sent the twelve spies. Spies go in, spy the land out. Guess what happens? They come back, verse 32, chapter 13, and they gave the children of Israel a bad report. Now, they said, yeah, the land flows with milk and honey.

You know, the grapes are huge. You know, it's all of that. But guess what? We saw there.

Giants! There are giants in the land. We can't possibly defeat giants, but their cities are walled. They said, we were like grasshoppers.

Now, I think that's a slight exaggeration. I've never seen somebody that tall, where we look like grasshoppers to them. But this is what they were saying. And so, therefore, in chapter 14, notice, so all the congregation, when they came back with this bad report, all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. Oh, they're crying in their tents.

They're up all night. They're mourning. You know, God brought us out here. What's He trying to do to us? And the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, if only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness.

Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword?

Now, why did they assume they would fall by the sword? I mean, that's an assumption. And our wives and our children should become victims. Now, who told them their wives and their children would become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? And so they said to one another, let us select a leader and return to Egypt. So here they're almost in the Promised Land.

You know, what they came out, God is going to give them freedom. God said, look, I'll drive all these nations out. And they want to turn around and go back into slavery. Go back to Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their face before the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And Joshua, the son of Nunn and Caleb, the son of Jeff, who were among them, who had spied out the land, tore their clothes. And they spoke to the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, the land we pass through to spy out is exceedingly good. If the Lord delights in us, then it will, He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.

Only do not rebel. Remember the summary, they rebelled against God. Don't rebel, He says, against the Lord. Nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. It's just like eating bread.

God will give them to us. Their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us.

Do not fear them. And the congregation said to stone them with stones.

So instead of listening, they want to take them out here and stone them to death.

Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.

Okay, now just stop and think about this. Israel refused to enter into the Promised Land.

It was right there in front of them. All they had to do was cross over the Jordan, and they rejected God. They rejected what God was offering them. Verse 11, And the Lord said to Moses, How long will these people reject me?

Not just a matter of rejecting Moses and Aaron. They're rejecting me. How long will they not believe me with all the signs which I performed among them? God says, Look, this is what I'll do.

I will strike them with pestilence. I'll disinherit them, and I will make a nation greater and mightier than they. Now stop and think, what if Moses had been a very proud individual? And God tells him, Look, Moses, I'm going to kill all of these people, but what I'll do, I'll raise up the nation through you and your children.

And Moses could have thought, Wow, God really thinks, I'm swell. Look what God's going to do with me. Great! Let me stand back here. You go ahead and destroy them. He didn't do that, did he? And we can be very thankful because probably most of us would not be here today as a result of that. Notice in verse 19 what Moses and Aaron did. They prayed to God, and they said, Pardon the iniquity of this people. I pray according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt, even unto now. And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your words.

So God says, Okay, I'll be merciful. I'll overlook their sins again. But there is a but here. But truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, because all these men who have seen my glory and the signs that I did in Egypt, see, they saw all of these miracles and in the wilderness have put me to the test now these ten times they've done this and have not heeded my voice they certainly shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers nor shall any of those who reject me see it but my servant Kayla and I might add also Joshua because they both entered in because notice he has a different spirit in him and he has followed me fully I will bring into the land where he went and his descendants shall inherit it so rather than they had tested God on 10 different occasions or several occasions as a result God said that older generation would not inherit the promised land now brethren the problem here as it says they didn't believe God and you and I again are to read these examples and learn from do we have the same attitude or the same approach do we believe God do we believe what he promises us what he says that he will do you see the the difference was this Caleb and Joshua had a different spirit a different attitude now you and I are privileged out of all the people in the face of the earth just a small handful of people who truly understand God's way and God has given us his spirit today so truly we have a different spirit a different attitude than the world around us but notice what God is looking for he's looking for a people who will fully follow him with all of our hearts with all of our beings that we will follow after God God is looking for a people who will do that completely now let's back up to Exodus 14 God said you know that well 10 times they did this that's an expression that could either mean 10 times or many times but let's notice in verse 8 chapter 14 of the book of Exodus in verse 8 let's notice some of their examples and what they did on these numerous occasions when they disobeyed against God we find the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued the children of Israel and children of Israel went out with boldness so they march out of the land one day they looked behind them and here comes Pharaoh in his army not only is it Pharaoh in his army but he's got chariots he's got horses you know he's got his crack men there with him and verse 10 the last sentence says so they were very afraid and the children of Israel cried to the Lord now after having seen all of the miracles that God performed you would have thought Israel would have said well here come here comes Pharaoh let's watch what God's going to do this time you know and just smile and say Moses has God told you yet what he's going to do to Pharaoh well see they didn't take that approach did they notice their approach they said to Moses because there were no graves in Egypt you've taken us away to die in this wilderness and why have you dealt so with us to bring us up out of Egypt is it not the word that we told you in Egypt saying let us alone see we didn't even want to come out of Egypt in the first place leave us alone we may serve the Egyptians would have been better for us to have served the Egyptians then that we should die in this wilderness so here you find they did not believe God and so they were afraid and they rejected God God could have helped them out of this difficulty just like he had intervened on their behalf before but they tempted God's power they didn't think God was big enough powerful enough i mean here obviously there's a river in front of them the Red Sea there are mountains on either side there's an army behind them how could how could God intervene to help them and so you know they didn't believe in chapter 15 in verse 22 we carry on with the story here Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea so they go through the Red Sea they see this tremendous miracle then they went out into the wilderness of Sir and they went three days into the wilderness and found the water and they came to Mara and could not drink the waters of Mara for they were bitter therefore the name of it is called Mara or bitter and the people complained against Moses saying what shall we drink so notice they complain again and so he cried to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree he cast in the waters and made them sweet there he made a statute and an ordinance for them and there notice he tested them now God turns the tables he tested them now here you find that they lacked faith that God could intervene on their behalf again after coming through the Red Sea you would have thought that the Israelites would have said well let's let's see how God corrects this we know these waters are bitter God knows we don't have anything to drink what's he going to do this time they should have gotten used to this by now you know what's what's God going to do now but again they doubted God in question whether he was leading them now God tested them what's the difference if you'll notice we've covered three elements connected with testing Israel is condemned for testing God that's one yet we are told to put God to the test or prove God malachai 310 then God turns around and tests the Israelites what's the difference in all of these testings are they different well yes they are we'll see and what is the purpose of each one well let's go over to chapter 16 we'll begin to see a little bit chapter 16 beginning in verse 2 we find that the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained if you ever complained about anything connected with the church or work God you know your your lot in life you know what you have to face trials tests whatever it might be well it says the whole congregation of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness and the children of Israel said to them oh that we have died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt where we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the fool and then you brought us out in this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger see as long as their bellies were full they were happy they had food they cucumbers and leeks and all of this then the Lord said to Moses behold I will rain bread from heaven for you and the people shall go out and gather a certain quote every day that I may test them now notice here God is going to test them why whether they will walk in my law or not so God's test is to see if they will obey so what was the purpose of God's testing he wanted to see if they'd obey if they do what he said keep his commandments walk in the way of life he gave if you'll remember one of the big tests here connected with this God told them you just go out and gather every day what you need don't save anything up because if you do it or breed worms and stink so some of them go and gather you know not for two or three days and it breeds worms and stinks well they do it the second day and it breeds worms and stinks third day fourth day now they get down to the sixth day God says okay now gather twice as much now we've learned our lesson now we're not going to do that and I'm sure that there were some of them who did not gather twice as much and all of those who did guess what every Friday the sixth day it didn't breed worms and stink and they had it for the next day on the Sabbath they didn't have to go out and gather it on the Sabbath and God proved them tested them to see if they would obey him and for 40 years he did this if you can imagine every day you know they got the manna okay now this chapter reveals I think a basic difference in why God tests us and what was wrong with Israel's approach in testing God God is a known quantity we all know that God is almighty all powerful the eternal God he's lived forever we know the Bible describes God and all of his attributes there's no one who's greater than God no one can thwart God no one can keep God from carrying out his promises we know that if God makes us a promise if God says something in his word that he will do it and we've also had experience with God have we not after services if we just decided to stay here and everybody in this room told his story about the time when God healed you or healed someone in your family or God intervened or helped you find a job or you know intervened in some different way to help you to go to the feast whatever it might be we'd be here all night would we not talking about how God has helped us so God is a known quantity now Israel had much experience with God did they not they saw all the plagues on Egypt they crossed through the Red Sea they had the manna the quail they had the again their clothes their shoes didn't wear out water out of rocks quail all of this and yet there was something missing something missing there was a missing ingredient if I could illustrate it sort of like cooking a cake you're going to bake a cake and you don't have any flour there's a missing ingredient you know you're not going to bake much of a cake without the flour well there was a missing ingredient in their life do you know what that ingredient was well we won't talk about it yet we'll come back to it it's there was something missing in their lives so God is a known quantity we don't have to worry about God if he says it he'll do it or he does it you and I are not a known quantity we're not a known quantity God does not always know what we will do God can know what we say we will do God can know what we are thinking at this moment but will we do what he says when the test comes see when the test comes the trial comes the difficulty might remember everyone of us and we were baptized minister counseled you Luke 14 count the cost you count the cost and what what is cost well you've got to be willing to love God above wife children family even your own life you've got to be willing to put God first and we say when we're baptized that I would be willing to give my life up to obey God now how do we know that I mean it's easy to say but when your life is on the line you either do it or you don't do it you see then then you have to obey so when the test comes and we're all faced with tests all the time let's go back to Deuteronomy chapter 8 Deuteronomy 8 beginning here in verse 2 we find a summary of why God tested Israel why he was hoping to learn chapter 8 book of Deuteronomy verse 2 you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness why the humble you that's why rather than we go through tests and trials there are many times if we are humbled are we not we can't save ourselves we don't know how to rectify a situation we don't know what to do God humbles us and notice and God says and I tested you why to know what was in your heart that's why whether you would keep his commandments or not God test us so that he knows what's in our heart so that indicates that there's something that God doesn't always know about us you see God is in the salvation business and God one day wants through the resurrection being born again into the family of God at the resurrection he wants to give us eternal life God is not going to give you or me eternal life until he absolutely knows that we will put him first that you know we're going to obey him that we will never deviate from him and when God tests us it's sort of like our going out if you had to buy a used car and you look at the car it looks pretty nice but it's used well what do you do don't you road test the car don't you take it to a mechanic and he checks the motor out don't you check the brakes out you want to check it you want to find out about the air conditioner you know what kind of shape is this car in you try to get the past records you did they change the oil every three to five thousand miles and so you you go through this and you check it out and you test it because once you pay for it that's it it's your car you know once you get the loan out and you sign the deal it's yours well God is not going to give any human being eternal life until he absolutely knows that we will never deviate from his way God is not going to give eternal life to somebody who later on becomes another Lucifer and rebels against him notice the example in genesis 22 of Abraham beginning in verse one genesis chapter 22 and verse one God dealing with Abraham it says now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham so we find that God does put us to test and he said to him Abraham and he said here I am then he said take now your son your only son Isaac whom you love go to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you okay here's Abraham he waited 25 years before he got Isaac now God tells him go out and offer him up as a sacrifice that would be an extremely difficult thing to do but Abraham obeyed and you'll find here in verse 12 he said do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him for now I know God says now what was it that God knew now that you fear God since you have not withheld your son your only son from me and brethren there will come a time when God will have to say the same thing about everyone of us I know that you will not withhold whatever I now know that you will obey me and do what I command so that's what God is developing within us that's the type of character he's looking for and he will put us to the test not to destroy us God doesn't test us to destroy us God tests us to know what we're made out of to see our mettle as Psalm 7 and verse 9 I think we read this the other day Psalm chapter 7 and verse 9 notice what we read about God it says don't let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end but establish the just for the righteous God tests the hearts and the minds so God will test our heart he will test our minds to see if we will do what he wants so brethren this means that our whole being as we covered in the last sermon that we are to love God with all our heart all our soul and all of our might with our whole being and God must know that he's got to know that there's nothing that we value that's more important in Exodus 17 Exodus chapter 17 beginning in verse 1 we began to find out here what some of the major problems that they had notice then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on the journey from the wilderness of sin according to the commandment of the Lord encamped in Rephidem and there was no water for the people to drink okay now they've already seen God purified the waters of Mara now here's no water and so the people contended with Moses and said give us water and we want water that we may drink so Moses said why do you contend with me why do you tempt the Lord notice they're testing God putting him to the test and the people thirsted there for water and the people complained against Moses and said why is it that you brought us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst you think they think of something original but it's always the same thing over and over again and Moses cried out to the Lord saying what shall I do with this people they're almost ready to stone me and so the Lord told Moses go before the people take some of the elders take your rod strike this rock and water will come out and that's exactly what happened so verse seven he called the name of the place Masa and Merava because of the contentions of the children of Israel because they tempted the Lord saying is the Lord among us or not if you ever asked the question is God with us is God with us because we need to know you know if you have God's Spirit God is with us let me list for you what was wrong with their approach and their attitude what were they doing when they were testing God well let me illustrate number one they tested his power whether he could help them in their difficulties is God powerless you see again what we have to realize is that when you test God's power in this way you're doubting that God is all-powerful now have we ever done that have we ever doubted God that God had the power to intervene to heal us God had the power to intervene to give us a job God has the power to intervene to take a trial from us or to help us go through a trial Israel should have expected deliverance should have expected God to intervene on their behalf secondarily they tested God's goodness not only his power but his goodness does God care for us we don't think God cares enough for us we think God brought us out here to destroy us will he provide for us will he protect us if we ever in our hearts wondered if God is really doing what's good for us you know have we ever doubted God in these ways number three they tested God's faithfulness would God keep his promise he promised to lead them into the promised land would he keep that would God bring them to the promised land would he drive their enemies out before them now God gives us all kinds of promises and we need to stand on them in fact you know there is the old hymnal standing on the promises do we stand on the promises that God gives us here in his word they tested his justice number four they tested his justice would God resent their provocations and punish them apparently they thought God didn't hear he wasn't keeping count and yet God said these ten times you've done this maybe they didn't think he heard well little secret God was keeping score and he said okay you've done this ten times they dared God they challenged God to do good or evil that was another problem they murmured against God they complained about how he or what he was doing they questioned what he was doing they questioned his leadership and his ability to guide and direct them they quarreled with him about everything he did and everything he had done and they continually fretted found fault this is probably one of the biggest problems that people had then and we have today and what is that fault finding i mean we all have faults don't we but you find fault finding there was a lot that Israel could complain about now sometimes we look back at Israel and we think well why would they have complained so much well you stop and think here they were in Egypt they had their own you know had houses and they were eating and yes they were slaves and they were working hard but all at once they're out here in the middle of a desert it's 9500 degrees or you're more and there's sand and there's more sand and there's some more sand and it's hot and they're scorpions and you know all kinds of critters out there they don't see any water they don't see any shade they don't see you know anything to drink and so it's hot they didn't have a variety of food they were marching through the hot sun and consequently you know they didn't like it now you and i would never complain about that would me well certainly you know we are just as human as they are we complain about much lesser things today they tempted god by distrusting him they did not put their trust in god they didn't trust him now malachi chapter 3 and verse 10 which we've referred to let's go back here to malachi chapter 3 and verse 10 god says bring all the ties into the storehouse that there may be food in my house try me now and this says the lord of hosts if i will not open for you the windows of heaven and bring out for you such blessings that there will not be room enough to receive it now god said to put him to the test improve him with ties and offerings what's the difference well the difference is this one is done out of disbelief distrust skepticism doubting that's what they were doing back in coming out of egypt the other is done out of right attitude and the right motive it's done out of belief you believe god all you got to do is just do it and god says okay i will blast you well brethren that's the attitude god's looking for in us god says it we do it we believe we you know we know that we can put him to the test because he says that he will accomplish it god wants us to trust him god expects actions from us now let's go back to the book of hebrews again hebrews chapter 3 beginning in verse 7 those hebrews chapters 3 and 4 summarize again in the new testament what the missing ingredient was remember i said there was a missing ingredient that the israelites had well beginning here in verse 7 hebrews 3 therefore as the holy spirit says today if you will hear his voice do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion in the day of trial in the wilderness when your fathers tested me and they tried me saw my works 40 years therefore i was angry with that generation and said they do always go astray in their hearts see their hearts aren't right and they have not known my way so i swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest beware brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of what of unbelief in departing from the living god what was their problem they didn't have faith they didn't believe god they even though they saw all of these miracles they did not believe now verse 16 for who have heard revealed indeed was it not all those who came out of edu led by moses now with whom was he angry 40 years was it not with those who sinned whose corpses fell in the wilderness and to whom did he swear they would not enter into his rest but those who did not obey so we see they could not enter in because of unbelief unbelief led to disobedience and they disobeyed god chapter 4 verse 1 therefore word therefore ties chapter 4 back to 3 therefore since a promise remains of entering his rest now brethren that's a promise to us of entering into the rest of god the kingdom of god let us fear lest any of you seem to come short of it for indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them but the word which they heard did not profit them why not being mixed with faith in those who heard it their problem was a faith problem or a lack of faith they did not have faith or trust in god now in hebrews 11 verse 6 remember we read to begin with that with many of them god was not pleased well here in verse 6 we find how we please god hebrews 11 verse 6 without faith it is impossible to please him faith will lead us to obey so if we're going to please god we have to have faith faith is the underpinning of obedience obedience is simply faith in action if you want a formula obedience equals faith equals action that's what obedience is faith put into action faith is translated into action which is called obedience as we read in verse 1 faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen the word substance here is hypostasis and it means a foundation things that are put under a substructure so what is the foundation of the things that we hope for the things that we do what's faith is the foundation faith is a foundation on which we build our lives we act and live as christians and we cannot please god without it we have to have that faith see second corinthian summarizes the problem between israel and us second christians chapter 5 and verse 7 second christians 5 7 we find this we walk by faith not by sight so you and i walk by faith not by sight now we trust god to lead us into the promise land israel walked by sight you know what the problem of walking by sight is sight is good while it's going on but after a while guess what you forget yeah he did it back there but i wonder can he do it now but if you walk by faith you see the difference god god called them and he revealed to them through a series of miracles his power his might his authority he was going to do what he said he was going to do and they saw it but they didn't have faith you and i don't see but we have faith and so we walk by faith faith not just by sight remember trust is a key ingredient trust is putting faith into action i've used a couple of times the example of the wheelbarrow and i've never found a better example the man who's a tightrope walker stretches a cable between two canyons for 10 years he pushes a wheelbarrow back and forth across the cable never falls he always you know has done it and you can say i believe he can do it trust is getting in the wheelbarrow so you get in the wheelbarrow now you got to trust him that he can do it for us trust is getting in the wheelbarrow with god god says tithe we get in the wheelbarrow with him we tithe god says give an offering we get in the wheelbarrow with him we give an offering god says keep the sabbath don't work on this day we get in the wheelbarrow we keep the sabbath we do what he says faith trust leads to putting faith into action so brethren there are some fundamental principles that we must build our christian life on and if we do we will never fail faith is one other faith is a foundation it leads to trust and obedience might remember back here in matthew 7 and verse 21 matthew chapter 7 verse 21 christ said not everyone who says to me lord lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father in heaven so you and i have to do god's will and verse 23 i will declare to them i never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness and so in verse 24 he says therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them i will liken him to a wise man to build his house on a rock rain's descended floods came winds blew beat on the house and it did not fall for it was founded on the rock so brethren you find that jesus christ is the foundation that we have to build our lives upon we've got to be doers and the foundation is jesus christ as we read back in first christian's chapter three the apostle paul brings this out very clearly first christian's chapter three in verse 10 let's notice he says according to the grace of god which was given to me as a wise master builder i've laid the foundation another builds on it but let everyone take heed how he builds on it for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid which is jesus christ so the foundation that we build on is christ we have faith that christ came he died he was our savior he lives in us and so we have that confidence in that faith now some fail because they don't continue to build and maintain that foundation foundation is not another human being another personality anything of that nature it's our faith is in god to lead and to guide and to direct us now you'll find that god will test us in words if we build on christ as a foundation we're building on faith and we begin to build a superstructure that superstructure will be tested to see how strong how solid it is and so in verse 12 anyone who builds on this foundation with gold silver precious stone woodhay stubble each one's work will become clear for the day will declare it because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test each one's work of what sort it is so again as i mentioned last sabbath on the holy days woodhay and stubble in the fire will burn up gold silver precious stones are smelted you know the dross is eliminated and they become pure they become stronger and so what god is wanting to do with us is to test the genuineness of our work of our faith of our character of our belief our trust and he will allow us to go through trials and tests so that one day he will know the genuineness of our faith see again god is in the salvation business he wants to give eternal life to his people we're the first to trust in him now israel heard god they saw his power his miracles and they still disobeyed we've not seen god but we believe god the difference is faith we walk by faith not by sight now israel failed the test their example is there to instruct us to teach us to help us to learn so that we don't make the same mistakes over and over what was their big problem was a lack of faith a lack of trust in god and the same problem can keep us out of the kingdom so brethren as we move forward through the days of unleavened bread as we move forward in our spiritual growth we have to realize that there is a foundation we've got to build on we have to have faith and trust in god we need to pray daily that god would increase our faith give us faith help us to put that faith into action god has given us his spirit and that spirit imparts faith one of the fruits of the spirit is faith we need to ask for faith and god will give it to us and realize we need to trust god as if our life depended upon it because truly our lives do depend upon it