Is The Lord Among Us, Or Not?

March 2, 2022

Series: Misc Sermons

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Scripture: Exodus 17:1-7

God is so long-suffering and patient. If God wasn’t merciful, where would we be? When we read the scriptures about the children of Israel, we often point our fingers at them and say, how dare they. 
 
Just because we join together as one within a church service, there are those that sit with us that don’t have the Lord with them. Every one of us needs to be honest and admit that the ability to come into the house of God to worship is a privilege. We come into this privilege half-hearted and yet God still blesses us.
 
Before they left they saw 10 miracles by God. Every morning they woke to see another miracle. At night they also see a miracle each day. Food was sent by God every day for 40 days. Then at the Red Sea, they witnessed another great miracle from God. Another miracle was the bitter water turned sweet, then water for everyone under palm trees. Then again, they thirst and God provided water from a rock. Yet, no matter how many times God showed them His love and mercy, they still doubted that He was there. God knew all along what was in their hearts. After all of this, there were still some that died unbelieving.
 
Just like Moses, they were going to stone Jesus. They were going to stone them not because of the good they had done but because of their doubt and affliction. In this time it was a foreshadowing of Christ. There are some amongst us that want to say they believe yet their actions deny their belief. 
 
When you come into the church house to worship should it be a funeral or a “party”? A lot of baptists don’t like to “party” when it comes to worshipping God.
 
There were times when God was upset and saddened by the children of Israel’s hearts. There are also times that He is saddened by our hearts. God is so good. We don’t deserve the air that we breathe. How many times have you questioned God as to why He hasn’t done something yet or if He’s even listened to you? God just walks on out ahead of you and smacks that rock to give you some water. God told Moses to go on out ahead of the problem and there will be a rock in the middle of the wilderness. What does the rock stand for? Jesus. Who saved the people, the rock, Jesus. 
 
Every time we come into the house of God we ought to come together to worship. God has made a promise to us that when two or three are gathered He would be there. That promise hasn’t changed, that rock hasn’t moved. Make your mind up before you get to church to worship. Get your heart right and prepare to worship before you come to church.