Amen. Our passage of scripture, just taking one week away from Exodus. I mean, from first Peter coming to Exodus. Exodus 15, 22 through 27. Exodus 15, 22 through 27. So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea. Then they went out into the wilderness of Shur, and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, what shall we drink? So he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, When he had cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There he made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there he tested them and said, if you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, and I will put none of the diseases on you, which I have brought on the Egyptians for I am the Lord who heals you. Then they came to Elam where there were 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees. So they camped there by the waters. On Wednesday evenings, we have been studying the book of Exodus, and this happens to be the passage, or at least part of the passage, because we went through the entire chapter of chapter 15 last Wednesday. And we have just obviously finished 14, where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, and the Egyptian army drowned in it. And in the beginning of chapter 15, the Israelites are celebrating, they're singing, praising the Lord for the great victory they had won. And they all must have felt wonderful. And yet this passage at the end of that chapter marks what you might say was the end of that celebration, because it starts with them going three days into the wilderness without any water. And so I had decided to preach on this passage rather than the one in first Peter for a couple reasons. One, I'm applying it to my own life. And then secondly, also, It fits more with the Lord's Supper than the other one did. And so this passage marks the end of celebration for these Israelites and the beginning of some testing. And my first point is, God will test us. And here we see Israel's first wilderness test, or you might say tests, if you wanna say there were more than one tests. test or test doesn't matter to me that he was, God was testing them. And so part one of these tests is they went three days with no water. It says in verse 22, so Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea. Then they went out into the wilderness of Shur and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. And you can see here, they seem to be, you know, they're going into the wilderness. They had celebrated the drowning of the Egyptians. They have no water, but at this point, there's no record of any complaints. So they must have been still a little bit high on their victory and not feeling any kind of pain at this point, but then part two of the test is disappointment. Verses 23 and 24, the next two verses, it says, now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah for they were bitter. Therefore, the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses saying, what shall we drink? And so here they are in the wilderness and they have been going three days without water and the sight of water. I'm sure sparked some hope for them. Some of them, after three days, the more energetic of them, if they still have energy after three days of no water, maybe they're running to that water. And they're excited about it. And there's some rejoicing. But as soon as they get to the water, they realize the water is bitter, maybe even poisonous-type bitter. And so with the slightest taste of water, there was proved that there was something wrong. And wrong with them, maybe even because they were bitter. We say, that's a big test of faith. How many of us would go three days without water and be happy about it? They were not. Matthew Henry says about this, note, God can embitter that to us. from which we promise ourselves most satisfaction, and often does so in the wilderness of this world, that our wants and disappointments in the creature may drive us to the creator in whose favor alone true comfort is to be had. We have a certain goal, we have a certain dream, and it seems that we may have accomplished that dream, and yet when we get to it, It's not what we thought it would be. Maybe there's even more paint in it than what we had hoped for. And so we are disappointed in this thing. And that's what they had here. They went to the water, but the water was bitter. Edith Lillian Young has one of the most wonderful poems, I think. Her poem is Disappointment, His Appointment. Change one letter, then I see that the thwarting of my purpose is God's better choice for me. His appointment must be blessing, though it may come in disguise. For the end, from the beginning, open to His wisdom lies. Disappointment, His appointment. Who's the Lord who loves me best, understands and knows me fully? Who my faith and love would test? For like loving earthly parent, he rejoices when he knows that his child accepts unquestioned all that from his wisdom flows. Disappointment, his appointment, no good thing will he withhold. From denials off we gather treasures of his love untold, while he knows each broken purpose leads to fuller, deeper trust, and the end of all his dealings proves our God is wise and just. Disappointment, his appointment. Lord, I take it then as such, like the clay in hands of potter, yielding wholly to thy touch. All my life's plan in thy molding, not one single choice be mine. Let me answer unrepining. Father, not my will, but thine. When I led the Bible study on Wednesday, I mentioned from another study going through Exodus, an old sermon that I don't have anymore. I wish I had the notes, but the title of the sermon was Miles of Miles of Smiles and Miles and Miles of Trials. And I know that fit for their trip through the wilderness because they had God blessing them, bringing manna from heaven, giving them guidance with the cloud in the day and the fire at night. They had a close presence with God. They had Moses giving them the law. But then they also had trials, going days without food or without water. They had trials of enemies. They had trials of their faith. They're not different than us. We have our good days and we have our bad days. And even for us who are believers, who are true and faithful, every day is not perfect. It's not always that we are on top. Usually God is putting us through some kind of trial, some kind of difficulty, and we are expected to pass that test. Job had great riches in the beginning of his life. He had a beautiful family, and yet they were all taken away. And he still, though, was faithful. And so we see the trials and the smiles are all part of God's plan for our lives, which leads to the next part of my sermon. What was God's purpose in this particular trial. Well, one of the things I believe that is always God's purpose when he puts us through difficulties is he is encouraging our prayer. It says, when they had these things going on, as soon as they realized the water was bitter and the people complained to Moses, it says, so he, meaning Moses, cried out to the Lord. He was praying. A pain insists on being attended to. C.S. Lewis says, God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world. When we are going through the motions as Christians, when we are not as wholehearted, maybe we're like the Laodiceans and lukewarm, God brings us troubles. He brings us trials. He brings us these to bring us back to our knees. Pain, disappointment, difficulties, they often bring us to our knees in prayer. And we see this happening here and we'll see it as we continue. I don't necessarily mean to continue to preach through Exodus at this time, but on Wednesday nights we will be. We see these things as part of God's purpose. Ultimately, his purpose is to make us more like Jesus. And if Jesus went through trials, despite the fact that he never sinned or never had any need for improvement, we can go through trials. Secondly, the second purpose that he has in this trial is to provide a preview of the cross and its impact on a sin-filled world. And in the second part of verse 25, it says, and the Lord showed him a tree, When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. I believe this tree is a prefiguring of the cross of Jesus Christ. This tree is a preview of his cross. Christ took our sins and our pains upon him on the cross, and the cross also is called a tree. As I read earlier from Isaiah 53, four through six, it says, surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted, but he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our inequities, the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. His stripes heal us. His stripes make us better. Galatians 3.13 says it like this, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for it, for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. There you have a verse that calls Christ's cross a tree. Then again, Revelation 22, Verses two and three, what we will see, I believe in heaven. It says in the middle of the street and on either side of the river was the tree of life, which bore 12 fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Notice Christ's cross heals us. Notice the leaves of those trees are for healing. I believe the tree of life ultimately is the cross. It's a picture of the cross. And so this thing that looks to be cursed, the cross of Christ is actually a great and wonderful blessing. It's the tree of life. The curse started when Adam took the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And it ends with Christ taking the tree of life, the cross. That's where the curse ends. He starts ending the curse when he dies on the cross. Not only does this cross heal us, but also nature heals us. which is also under bondage to sin. According to Romans 8 verses 20 and 21, it says, for the creation was subject to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope, because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Why do I bring up creation at this point? Well, the Israelites were going through the wilderness. They saw this great body of water. It must have been big because they were a big group and they thought this is enough to give them some satisfaction. They go to it and they're disappointed because it's bitter, it's poisonous, it's no good. But then when the tree is thrown into that water, The water is made sweet. And we live in a world that is full of sin and difficulties and problems. And ultimately it's Christ's cross, his death on the cross, that will one day make a world where insects are killing other insects and animals are cruelly eating other animals and fierce things are happening everywhere. All of that's because of sin. And yet when Christ died for sin, He started the cure. Just as the waters were made sweet, so one day all water, that water of life is as sweet as can be. Now this also was a test of the Israelites and it was designed to improve them. It says, and there he tested them, Exodus 15, 25. Job says, but he knows the way that I take. When he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. Tested in Job is the type of testing that gold goes into, goes in. to fire and it melts away the impurities. And the gold melts, but the gold doesn't melt away. It's just made more pure. And Job saw himself going through trials as being tested and purified. He was a man that was a righteous man, a godly man, but he still had sin and he still could be improved. And he sees that happening. This kind of testing is for our good. James 1, 2 through 6 says, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. who gives to all men liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him, but let him ask in faith with no doubting for he who doubts us like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. Let him ask you God, if anyone lacks wisdom, what's wisdom? Well, it definitely in relation to trials, wisdom is that ability to see things from God's point of view. When we take a little child, to a doctor because they are very sick. Some of the things the doctor does, the child might not understand and they might be good for that child anyway. but the apparent understands. And some of the things that God may put us through, we don't understand what we need to trust the Lord in these things and know that he is able to make what seems bitter, what seems hard, something good. Roman numeral number three. I just noticed I got accidentally number two on it. at least in my notes, how to avoid worse trials, judgment, and judgment, trust in the Lord and obey. Verses 15 through 25, it says, there he made a statute and an ordinance for them and said, if you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians for I am the Lord who heals you. Obeying God does not mean that we won't be tested or disciplined, that we won't go through trials. We see that in scripture. Job went through trials. Jesus himself went through trials and yet, If we are obeying God, God does give this promise. He says, but the diseases on which I brought on the Egyptians, I won't bring these on you. These diseases which God brought on the Egyptians were not discipline, they were judgment. They were judgment for the wrongs that they had done. What God brought upon the Egyptians was judgment. Note the similarity of end time judgments to what happened to the Egyptians. It's interesting. Revelation 16, one through four says, then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, go and pour out the bowls of wrath upon the earth. So the first went and poured out his bowl on the earth. And a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast, and those who worshipped his image. Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became as blood as a dead man, and every living creature in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water and they became blood. Remember in Egypt, especially those who've been studying Exodus with me, one of the first of Moses' plagues that God brought upon Egypt was turning the waters into blood. And one of the later ones was the boils on their skin. And you see both of those here in this last time judgment. God is bringing judgment on these people. God, though, is the God who heals us. As I already read from Isaiah 53, five, and by his stripes, we are healed. Revelation 22, two, the leaves of the tree, and I say that is the cross for the healing of the nation. In your bulletin, not in your notes, right, but in the bulletin part, there's a quote from Matthew Henry. God is the great physician. If we be kept well, it is he that keeps us well. If we be made well, it is he that restores our life. He is our life and the length of our days. Matthew Henry. One of the things that, for me, because my health has not been the best lately, especially with my weight, and so I've been praying about these things, and that's one of the reasons that drew me, not just to lead this Bible study on Wednesday, but also to preach it to you, because I'm not the only one that has different ailments. We all have something that we deal with, and it's God, ultimately, who heals us. Whatever other medicine we might take or not take, it's still up to God. He can restore our health, He can keep us healthy if we're healthy, and He is the one who controls our life and the length of our days. And so part of our health not just our spiritual health, I believe also even our physical health. God's not, the fact that somebody is sick does not necessarily mean they're terribly sinful, but God does control these things. The ultimate healing is to go to heaven. Number four, point number four, Roman numeral number four. After discipline and testing, God gives love, grace, and pleasure. It says here in this passage, then they came to Elam where there were 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees. So they camped there by the waters. And so here, God did test them. God did put them through trials. And as I said before the title, it could be miles and miles of trials, miles and miles of smiles. And if you know the Lord at all, as we go through this life, oftentimes the healings that come, the blessings that come after trials, they almost make you appreciate the fact that you went through the trial, because you can see some of the blessing. God gives us pleasures. even in this sin-filled world. David writes in Psalm 23, five and six, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. One of the things that was characteristic of King David's life was he was almost constantly at war in battles, in struggles. And yet even in the midst of these, he says, you prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. So he saw the good even while he was in the presence of enemies. He says, my cup runs over. And if we really know the Lord, which I believe most all of you do, you know this experience. You may go through trials, you may go through hard times, but the Lord's blessing, even when you're going through the trial, is so great that you can still praise him. Our pleasures here are just a preview of heaven. Psalm 16, 11 says, you will show me the path of life In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. He shows us the path of life in this world, that narrow way that is sometimes a hard way, but it is the way to ultimate reward. And in his presence, both here when we are present with him from a distance and then ultimately in eternity, when we enjoy his presence forever, we have pleasures forevermore. Point number five, Christ's cross is what we celebrate in the Lord's Supper. Verse 25, 15, 25b of Exodus says, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it in the waters, the waters were made sweet. I believe that tree is a preview of the cross. It makes even our difficulties sweet. And why is that? Because we recognize Christ came into this world. He's with us in our struggles. We see Christ's cross previewed throughout the Old Testament. Just a few of these. The blood of those animals. which died to clothe Adam and Eve, verse 21 of Genesis 3. Also Adam and Eve, the Lord made tunics of skin and clothed them. Those tunics of skin that clothed them, clothed them in righteousness because an animal had to die for that. Adam and Eve, you remember, wanted to clothe themselves with fig leaves. And Adam was a gardener, and so the fig leaves were his work. And we can't clothe ourselves with our own works. We have to have a sacrifice, and that had to be Christ. All our works of righteousness are filthy rags. We see it also, Christ's cross previewed in the better offering, offered by Abel, the second son, actually, Abel, who was killed by his brother, Cain, Before he was killed, it says, Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering. He brought, for the firstborn of his flock, he brought sheep. And later we read about the sheep that are the Passover lambs and those that would be sacrificed. And Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is our Passover. We see this in the bloody sign of circumcision. Abraham's seed would bleed and die for our sins. We see it in the blood of the ram, which died instead of Isaac, Genesis 22, 13. Actually, Isaac himself is a type of the son of God who died for our sins. And as I said, we see it in the blood of the Passover lambs. Exodus 12, one through 13, and all of the sacrificed animals, Hebrews 9, 14, and 10, 12. And here we see the cross represented in the tree that's thrown into bitter water to make it sweet. And that cross of Christ makes our bitter waters, our difficulties sweet. Christ's cross is precious to those who love him, In Philippians, Paul is talking about having his own righteousness and comparing that to the righteousness of Christ. And he prefers a great deal the righteousness of Christ because he knows his own was nothing. And so in verse 10 of chapter 3 of Philippians, he says, that I may know him. and the power of his resurrection. And last Sunday we celebrated the resurrection and we all want to know that power of the resurrection in our life. But then he says, and the fellowship of his sufferings. Paul didn't just want to know the power of Christ's resurrection. He also wanted to know the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. He was happy to endure difficulty. He says, and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death, meaning he was willing to die like Jesus died. And then he says, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection of the dead, he would welcome sufferings. He was welcoming the cross. When we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we're doing what Christ has called us to do. He says, for as often as you eat this bread, And drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes. We proclaim the Lord's death because we know what it does. It saves us. It heals us. It brings us ultimately to a right relationship with God. Well, let's pray. Father, we thank you for your goodness to us. We thank you for your love and your kindness. And Father, we thank you for Jesus who came and died on the cross for us that we might have salvation, that we might have life. And Father, we thank you for that. And we pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.