Bitter Made Sweet

[0:00] Let me just get myself sorted. Good morning. It is so good to be here. A privilege to be with you this morning. Thank you for having me back, Cal. It's a great honor. It's a great privilege to be bringing the Word of God with you this morning.

[0:16] Thank you, Raymond Roof, for leading us in praise of our Savior. I've titled my sermon this morning, Bitter Made Sweet. Bitter Made Sweet.

[0:28] And I think back, I was just sitting there just thinking of my own life and just my own walk and my own journey with Jesus. And from where I was, it's just such a bitterness of a man that I was and just how Christ has made me.

[0:43] You know, making me, us, as believers in Him, just so much sweet, you know, through salvation and sanctification. And it's just wonderful to be here. So today, as Cal's already mentioned, we are going to once again turn our attention to Exodus.

[0:57] And we'll be looking at chapter 15, verses 22 to 27. In these short passages of Scripture, we witness the Israelites' journey from the triumphant crossing of the Red Sea to the bitter waters of Marah and to God's remarkable provision in the midst of their testing.

[1:17] And as we delve into this passage this morning, we will glean valuable lessons about the trials and the tests we face in our own lives and how God, so rich in mercy and grace, through His faithfulness, provides for all who put their trust in the Lord.

[1:35] But before we go any further, let me pray for us. Father, we are gathered here in Your name.

[1:46] And we count it a blessing that we can come, that we can meet together as Your gathered church from every tribe, every nation, every tongue across the globe, that we all have the one thing in common, and that is Your Son, Jesus, our Savior, our Lord, that we can come together and praise Your name, that we can come together and read from Your Word.

[2:15] Lord, we count it such a privilege and a blessing. And though our week may have been a trial or a tribulation, we thank You that You have been there right beside us, guiding us by Your Holy Spirit.

[2:31] And would You do that now? Would You guide us, Holy Spirit, and go before me and open the hearts and minds, ready to receive Your Word. Lord, we thank You and we give You praise and we lift Your name of Jesus up in here this morning.

[2:47] It's in His name we pray. Amen. If you have your Bible with you this morning, or if you're working from a tablet or a device, I would welcome you to turn with me to Exodus chapter 15, starting at verse 22.

[3:03] We're finishing at verse 27. And I'm reading from the ESV version this morning. Exodus 15. Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur.

[3:19] They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. The water of Marah, sorry, therefore, it was named Marah.

[3:34] And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, what shall we drink? And he cried to the Lord. And the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

[3:48] There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there He tested them, saying, if you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord your healer.

[4:13] Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

[4:24] Amen. This is God's Word, and may God bless the reading of His Word. Before we explore this passage that we've just read this morning, I'd like us to look briefly back on where we are in Exodus so far.

[4:39] Just as a quick reminder, it helps us set the stage for where we are in our passage this morning. The Israelites have just experienced firsthand an incredible deliverance by the hand of God.

[4:51] Up to this point, the Israelites, in their respective recent history, have observed the power of God displayed in the ten plagues cast upon the land in Egypt.

[5:02] They have witnessed the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, God guiding them by His presence. Then, there's the complete wonderful miracle of the Red Sea.

[5:14] The walls of water, both on their left and both on their right, having to pass the whole nation of Israel by walking through these separated waters over the seabed on both sides.

[5:31] I think would be both terrifying and awesome all in the same breath, I have to say. They witnessed the mighty hand of Yahweh parting the Red Sea, allowing them to escape Pharaoh's ensuing army.

[5:49] After God had dealt with Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt, they are, and as a very dear friend once put it, now dancing their sandals off. They're a new song to sing and dance with joy at the victory of God He had brought about for His people.

[6:06] Their hearts were filled with awe and praise as they sang the song of Moses and Miriam celebrating God's salvation. The Israelites knew fine well of the power and the provision of Yahweh through all of these events.

[6:24] He is in the purpose of making bitter into sweet. Yet, as we know, life is not a series of mountaintop experiences.

[6:35] All too often, we can find ourselves in a wilderness where we encounter testings and trials. So too did the Israelites. This whole portion of Scripture beautifully, I think, encapsulates the divine work of salvation we have as New Testament believers in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

[6:57] Once we were enslaved to our Egypt of our own sin, but then Jesus came to set us free. It is Christ who is the Passover Lamb who shed His blood on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins.

[7:15] He has also brought us through the Red Sea. In His burial, Jesus passed through the deep waters of death, but by His resurrection, He landed safe on the other side.

[7:27] This picture of the Israelites passing through the waters is a picture of how we pass through the waters of baptism. The exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt was a foreshadow of an even greater exodus as we, New Covenant Christians, believe and experience.

[7:45] Deliverance from sin and death through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. In the New Testament, Paul, the Apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthians and explains the connection between the first exodus that we're reading about today and the second greater exodus.

[8:05] and he says this, Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction on whom the end of ages has come. What happened to the Israelites teaches us how we are to live for Jesus.

[8:23] Now, I wonder if you have ever been on a journey with children. A very challenging task at times. I have two. One of my, one of my eldest here, Reuben, we've already made mention of, and Naomi, my daughter, she turned 11 just a couple of months back.

[8:39] We, as a family, go down south quite often. We, I see friends, I see family, and when our children were babies, it wasn't so much of an issue with questions that could be potentially asked on a journey.

[8:53] But as they both got older, they began to talk and the use of the word why became their favorite word. Why? Why? Why is there why? It's just because it is. Okay? Just take it.

[9:06] Now, that became their favorite word. But if you've ever been on a journey, you will know the question concerning that is asked the most on any journey.

[9:17] Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet? When reading and preparing for this morning in the studies that I've been doing, I couldn't help but wonder if Moses had the same problem with the Israelites.

[9:29] Are we nearly there yet? Verse 22 begins by saying, Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea and they went into the wilderness of Shur.

[9:43] Notice that it was Moses who leads the people out of their place of celebration and into the wilderness. Moses knows the wilderness. Moses knows what lies ahead of them and what lies ahead for the nation of Israel.

[10:01] Cast your mind back to where God called Moses out of. Well, where was he when the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in chapter 3 of Exodus? Well, the west side of the wilderness, Mount Horeb in the burning bush.

[10:17] Moses is no stranger to the wilderness. Moses knows that the wilderness is a barren and hostile place. He is no stranger to trials and tribulations and one commentary puts it as going through the wilderness was not necessary for Israel's salvation but it was necessary for their sanctification.

[10:42] The wilderness of Shur represents the periods of difficulty and trial that follow moments of deliverance. In our lives we may find ourselves in similar experiences, similar wilderness experiences, there may be times in your life when you wonder why has God led me here?

[11:05] God, where are you in this situation? I know I've asked those very questions. I don't know about you. But the wilderness is often a place where God tests our faith ultimately throwing us onto Himself and reliance on Him alone.

[11:27] Now where else do we see this? Well, we find it in the Gospel accounts in Matthew 3, in Mark 1 and also in Luke 3. Jesus was baptized by John.

[11:38] Just like Israel passing through the waters, Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tested and tempted. The Israelites were led into the wilderness to be tested by trial.

[11:49] Now although God Himself tempts no one, our temptations are included in His sovereign plan. They are for our good.

[12:01] If we overcome, we are strengthened. But if we succumb, we recognize more clearly of our need for further sanctification in His grace. The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is like the mirror image to the testing of Israel in the wilderness that we find ourselves in Exodus.

[12:21] The 40 days corresponds to the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. As mentioned later, we can read it in Deuteronomy, there's Numbers and Joshua. The journey starts and they set out with so much hope, hope that we've just been singing about, and the anticipation in their hearts and minds.

[12:41] After all, God has covenanted with Israel this promised land, this flowing with milk and honey and abundance, you might say. So naturally, the Israelites go straight to Canaan, displace all the wicked nations that were in the land and claim the land as promised, right?

[13:00] Not quite. Smooth sailing? Not quite. They may have thought that though. Pick it up in verse 23 where it says, when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter.

[13:16] Therefore, it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses saying, what shall we drink? Now, a single day in the wilderness or in the desert where they found themselves without water would probably be bearable.

[13:32] You could get through that. Two days without water in the wilderness or the desert would be significantly harder. Three days where they were, we're now heading into the impossible.

[13:44] Especially when you come across water and it's undrinkable. But do you not find God works in the impossible? The foremost question in the minds of the Israelites was their physical need.

[13:59] Their thirst and their hunger is overriding their trust in Yahweh. Is this physical need any greater than that of an Egyptian army coming to kill them with sword and spear?

[14:12] Jesus speaks in Matthew that these types of questions reveal an anxious or an untrusting heart. But God can make bitter sweet.

[14:24] When the Israelites were celebrating and singing songs of praise because God had saved them yet again, this was the correct response. Yet, when God leads them into the wilderness to be tested, there was error in their response.

[14:44] Their trust and obedience in Yahweh wasn't found in their hearts and minds. Now, if I ask you a question this morning, how do you or I react in times of trouble?

[14:57] Now, life is hard at times and it is. What do you clothe yourself in when hard times hit? Do you clothe your heart with worry, doubt, unbelief, bitterness?

[15:13] Or, or, I love the question, or, sorry, the word or, do you bind the promises of Jesus to your heart and speak the truth of His Word daily reminding yourself of who Jesus is?

[15:29] Isaiah says that worship is like a coat and when you put on a coat, well, maybe cold outside, it's raining, snowing, after all we have left, summer completely behind us.

[15:42] When you put that coat on, does it change the weather conditions of the day? Of course not. It can't. You just put a coat on or your big jacket.

[15:55] The coat or the jacket that you've put on doesn't change the weather or the circumstances that you're in. it changes you in the weather. Worship of Jesus is the only way, sorry, is the way you clothe yourself for a discouraging world.

[16:14] Worship of Jesus changes your focus. Reading and meditating on His Word, singing praise to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Despite the circumstances you find yourself in, you push aside the things that are worrying you and stealing away your joy and you lift up who Jesus is.

[16:37] You worship Jesus and proclaim that He is King and that you are following Him, that He is sovereign and in complete control of all of this.

[16:48] There's a beautiful song by Shane and Shane, I don't know if you know it, it simply says, I don't know what you're doing but I know what you've done.

[17:03] I don't know what you're doing but Jesus, I know what you've done for me. As you elevate Jesus, as you worship Him, when you put on this garment of praise as Isaiah says, He is reminding us as believers of His love and good plans for us.

[17:23] When we are going through difficult circumstances, it can certainly be challenging to set our minds and hearts to give praise but passages like this remind us that God is our rescuer and our comforter who is always active in doing something new and good in our lives.

[17:42] The water at Mara was bitter, undrinkable. the test from God was there. All they had to do was look up and see the pillar of cloud that was still present.

[17:56] God had led them to this place. His presence had not abandoned them. So, the people complained to Moses and Moses being the appointed leader by God, their murmurings and grumbles were actually against God Himself.

[18:12] The Israelites simply did not trust in the faithfulness of God. They didn't believe that God would take care of them. Now, this isn't just the problem we read about in Exodus almost 4,000 years ago.

[18:26] This is a real problem for us and the society we live in today. Grumbling is all too common. All too common. Especially when I get the kids to empty the dishwasher and clear the table.

[18:38] many of us as Christians we grumble and complain and disagree with many things. It could be that you have a problem with some aspect of the circumstances.

[18:50] Sorry, I couldn't say that word. Circumstances you find yourself in. So, you let everyone know about it at every given opportunity. Sound familiar? Maybe it's someone you have a problem with so you complain and you gossip to them about others.

[19:08] Maybe it's someone within the church or something within the church. You don't like how a particular aspect of the church service is handled so you complain and grumble because that's not the way it's done.

[19:24] Our passage this morning is a strong reminder and warning to us about anyone who has a complaining or grumbling murmuring spirit. Now, it's not a sin for us to bring our problems before God in prayer.

[19:37] God actually welcomes and invites us to speak to Him about our lives and the pressures that we face. What is a sin, however, is the complaining, murmuring, and grumbling of a complaining spirit which not only poisons our relationships with one another as fellow believers, but ultimately and more importantly affects our relationship with Christ and the joy that it is to serve Him and be a witness for Him.

[20:07] Is there something in your life perhaps that aligns you with the people of Israel this morning? Is there something that you have placed that has come between you and Jesus?

[20:19] Is there something that you have a constant source of complaint about and you're harboring it? All of these things will hinder your prayer life and will limit your effectiveness for Jesus.

[20:31] Take it to Him in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to conform you to being more Christ-like, bitter, made sweet. So what should our response be then?

[20:44] What should the Israelites' response have been? After all, the last miracle to be witnessed was the parting of the Red Sea. Not a week passed. God losing His touch or where is He in these circumstances?

[20:56] I haven't seen a miracle in four days. Well, Moses' response I think here is so crucial and I don't want us to miss this this morning.

[21:06] Verse 25, And he cried out to the Lord. Moses didn't join in with the complaining. He didn't hold a council meeting to discuss why God had abandoned them.

[21:18] No, he took the problem directly to God in prayer. His heart was full of faith. He knew that he couldn't save the people on his own merit, but he went to the only one who could save them, Yahweh.

[21:35] He displayed his full reliance on God's promise to provide for his people. Now, I don't know about you, but I laughed a little when I came to this part of my study in this passage.

[21:49] What does it say? The Lord showed him a log. Okay, if we're moving on now. He showed him a log. Moses must have been thinking, well, God will give us a quick answer and the water's now healed and it's ready to drink as a result of another divine miracle.

[22:05] Nope, here's a log. What am I going to do with this? What can I do with that? Moses must have thought, how is this going to help? How is this tree or log or wood going to help?

[22:19] The people are dying of thirst. How is this log going to help? The miracle here isn't that a log thrown into the water to make something that was bitter, sweet.

[22:30] the miracle is that God would be willing to save them in the first place. They were a bunch of unfaithful, distrusting, complaining moaners.

[22:44] That is the most remarkable part of this passage that we find ourselves in. Why then does God save His rebellious people? Because God's grace and His mercy are so incredibly amazing.

[23:03] His love surpasses understanding because He is the one who has set His love and heart upon this nation of Israel, of believers.

[23:13] Does this sound familiar? Because it should. We as New Covenant believers were once dead in our sins, rebelling against God, sinning against Him.

[23:28] But through God's grace and mercy, Jesus sacrificed Himself, dying on the cross for our sins, imparting His righteousness onto us.

[23:40] Why? Because we deserved it, right? No. It's by grace you are saved. We are saved for His glory.

[23:53] God is so rich in His goodness and His kindness towards us. Hallelujah. The symbology of this log or the tree or wood, however it says in your translation, is important to note and there's a valid question to be asked, I think, when we look at verse 25 of whether or not it was by a miracle that God changed the water or actually it was the chemical makeup of the log or tree that actually changed the water to be drinkable.

[24:23] Now, there's nothing that I've read to suggest that the tree actually made the water change from bitter to sweet and logically, I think, a tree or a piece of wood couldn't purify so much water that a whole nation could drink, you know, from.

[24:38] God's direct answer to Moses crying out to him was that he saw the plight of his people and in mercy and in God's goodness performed a miracle and enabled the water to be drinkable.

[24:55] That's the kind of logical conclusion that we come to. Now, in verse 25 where it says the use of the word showed and where God showed Moses, in the Hebrew, this word, it means to direct or to instruct and the root from the word Torah is where we get this word showed or direct or instruct which is where Torah comes from.

[25:17] God imparted knowledge to Moses about this tree or log and through Moses' obedience and putting his trust in Yahweh, the people of Israel were saved once more.

[25:30] Throughout Scripture, the use of trees as a symbol of life is used and I don't think from what I've studied, again, from what I've read and what I've looked at in this passage. I've been in this about six weeks now. The trees we find here in Exodus is a direct contrast to the cross.

[25:45] Nonetheless, in the wider context of the whole canon of Scripture, I think it's certainly noteworthy and it's good to ponder on. That's my conclusion of it. Firstly, there was a tree of the good of knowledge, sorry, of the knowledge of good and evil and there was the tree of life that we find in the Garden of Eden in Genesis.

[26:05] This same tree, we find in the New Jerusalem with leaves for healing the nations recorded in Revelation 22. Then there's the tree on which our Savior Jesus was crucified.

[26:17] That tree or that cross of wood that Jesus hung from representing the healing that heals our bitter sin. Praise God. And if we look at the end of verse 26, God attributes Himself healer.

[26:37] For there is only one who can deal with the sin in your life. Now, whether you're a Christian here this morning or whether you are not, only Jesus, let me state this, only Jesus can heal you from the sickness of sin.

[26:51] Take your sin to Jesus. He can make something bitter into something sweet. Repent and believe in Him. God's provision in Marah was not just a random act of kindness, but it was a demonstration, as we've already read, as a lesson for us to learn about God's faithfulness.

[27:14] It was and always will be for God's glory. In that, it was part of His covenant relationship with His people. In verse 26, the Lord says, If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God and do that which is right in His eyes and give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord your healer.

[27:44] The people of Israel were being tested by Yahweh. And as we all know, this law that was given to them, they could not fulfill. This isn't a new feature, I have to say, in the timeline of humanity.

[27:59] This falling short of keeping God's commandments and statues goes right back to the first Adam. This sinful nature has separated humanity from God.

[28:11] God's commands were not for Israel's salvation because God never says, do this and you will be saved. The Lord deals with us in mercy and grace.

[28:23] As Romans 5, 8 puts it, it says, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Because if it was the other way around, then salvation would come by works.

[28:35] First, God saves. First, God saves. And then, He says to us, now here are some things that I want you to do.

[28:48] Verse 26 emphasizes the importance of obedience to God's commands. It reminds us that God's blessings are dependent upon our willingness to obey Him.

[29:01] Obedience is not a means to earn God's favor, but it is a response to His grace. We must remember, brothers and sisters, that obedience to God's Word is the pathway to spiritual growth in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[29:20] This is why we so desperately need Jesus. He was the one who could fulfill the law. He is the anointed one, the Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, the one who, when tested, passed the test.

[29:38] He kept the whole law of God. This is what something called is the act of obedience of Christ. And it is in Christ that we have full salvation.

[29:51] Praise God. Now, there is great blessing for us as Christians when we learn to trust and obey. As was the case for Israel, Israel is now given another promise under the covenant that Yahweh is their healer.

[30:10] And this word that the Lord attributes to Himself is Jehovah Ropheh, the Lord who heals His people, not just their physical needs, but also with their spiritual needs in their healing.

[30:27] The lessons God was teaching the Israelites, and what we can draw on also is that God in His very nature is healer. God meets us in our greatest need in Jesus and forgives us of our sins and our healing, and sorry, and healing our diseases.

[30:49] Whatever healing that it is that we need, we are to look to Christ. some of us physical or other diseases won't be healed until the day of resurrection, but they will be healed because Jesus has promised to heal them.

[31:06] Our passage concludes with the Israelites' journey from the banks of the Red Sea to arriving at Elan, where we now have an abundance of 12 springs and 70 palm trees.

[31:22] Again, this is another beautiful picture for us to look at as it represents God's transformative work in our lives, taking us from somewhere bitter like Marah to an Elam, a promised land of abundance.

[31:37] Marah representing the trials and testing that refine our relationship with Jesus and it deepens our dependence on Him. Elam, on the other hand, symbolizes the abundant rest that God provides after we have endured testing.

[31:53] The amount of wells or springs and palm trees present at Elam, which for reference was actually only about seven miles away from Marah, is symbolic of fullness and blessing.

[32:06] God's provision for His people is abundant. The Lord God Almighty from His everlasting fountain of grace showers us in His love so that we may flourish.

[32:23] Jesus is this abundant provision. If you know Jesus and you are known by Him, you have everything, everything.

[32:35] He has promised to provide for all we need in our daily lives. As Philippians 4.13 tells us, my God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.

[32:49] Not just our physical need, but Jesus has promised to me our deepest spiritual need, granting us forgiveness forgiveness. Giving us fellowship with Him forever.

[33:07] So, as we reflect on our passage this morning, this, I have some practical applications for us to consider. Trust in God's sovereignty. When we face bitterness and trials, remember that God is in control.

[33:23] His plan and purpose for every circumstance is for your good. Embrace obedience. Obedience to God's Word is key to your daily walk and knowledge of Jesus.

[33:37] Commit yourselves to following His commands and statutes. Recognize God as healer. God not only meets our physical needs, but also heals our wounds and restores our souls.

[33:53] Seek His healing in all areas of your life. Persevere through testing. Persevere through testing. Trials and tribulations are opportunities for spiritual growth and sanctification.

[34:10] Trust that God is working for your good through your difficulties to conform you to be more like Christ. Lastly, look forward to healing.

[34:23] Hold on to the hope of God's blessings and what is to come. Eternal fellowship with love Himself in Jesus. Let's remember that the bitter waters of testing are not the end of the journey.

[34:41] They're necessary. It's a necessary part of our spiritual growth and transformation. God's provision and blessings are always near waiting for us to trust Him, obey His word and persevere through the trials.

[35:00] Always, no matter what happens in life, hold on to the Lord Jesus. I have gone through so many encounters, trials, tribulations, so many obstacles in my life, but I know and I believe that Jesus was with me.

[35:23] He is with me now and He will always be with me and forevermore for eternities to come because He has promised I will be with you always to the end of the ages.

[35:39] Bitter, made sweet to His glory alone. Let's pray. Father, what a grace it is that You have bestowed upon us.

[35:56] What a grace it is in Your mercy and Your goodness that we can look to You for healing. What a grace and mercy it is that You would take something so bitter, like a sinner like me, and through Your Son, my Lord Jesus, my Savior, can adopt me into Your family to be made sweet.

[36:29] by His work and His work alone. Lord, we thank You for Your Word. Would You impress it upon our hearts as we leave this place today? And we say it's for all of Your glory and Yours alone.

[36:42] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.