WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.980 Well, good morning again, and welcome to Church at the Advent. 00:00:03.800 --> 00:00:07.459 My name is also Jeff, a different last name, Jeff Simpson. 00:00:07.640 --> 00:00:08.640 I'm one of the pastors here. 00:00:09.380 --> 00:00:12.679 And again, if you're new with us here this morning, I just want to say welcome. 00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:14.800 I'd love to meet you after the service. 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:18.980 Thanks for joining us for worship on this very hot summer day. 00:00:19.339 --> 00:00:20.080 It's good to be with you. 00:00:22.539 --> 00:00:29.320 It is always surprising when we learn something that is—learn about something that is more 00:00:29.320 --> 00:00:31.339 dangerous than it appears. 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:36.399 I was recently on vacation a few weeks ago, and I was watching a TV show. 00:00:36.980 --> 00:00:43.179 And as I was watching the show and seeing the story unfold, at one point, one of the characters 00:00:43.179 --> 00:00:48.560 dies by being poisoned with something I didn't expect. 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:51.039 He's poisoned with cherry pits. 00:00:52.539 --> 00:00:56.679 Somebody put ground-up cherry pits in their coffee and poisoned him, and he died. 00:00:57.260 --> 00:00:58.400 It's pretty bizarre, right? 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:03.560 And I'm watching the show, and because it was bizarre, I kind of had to find out for 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:04.959 myself, like, is this real? 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:06.120 Like, can this actually happen? 00:01:06.859 --> 00:01:11.819 And of course, I did a quick internet search, and after reading a few articles, I found out 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:12.340 it's true. 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:18.000 Ground cherry pits can actually release cyanide, a chemical that's pretty poisonous. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:22.000 And if you eat enough ground-up cherry pits, you could potentially die. 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:30.460 And pretty bizarre, but I had no idea that something that I thought was completely harmless was actually 00:01:30.460 --> 00:01:31.560 pretty dangerous. 00:01:32.099 --> 00:01:37.140 This morning, we see something else that is more dangerous than it appears, maybe on the 00:01:37.140 --> 00:01:40.340 surface, and that is discontent. 00:01:41.500 --> 00:01:42.019 Discontent. 00:01:42.379 --> 00:01:45.819 We're in a sermon series called Music in the Wilderness. 00:01:45.819 --> 00:01:48.739 And we're looking at Psalm 106. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:57.379 And Psalm 106 is this psalm that scholars believe was written in exile, when Israel was 00:01:57.379 --> 00:01:58.219 in Babylon. 00:01:58.979 --> 00:02:02.899 And this psalm gives us a 30,000-foot view. 00:02:03.039 --> 00:02:06.659 It gives us a flyby of the story of Israel. 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:10.659 And so all the different sections of the psalm are these different stories that happen all 00:02:10.659 --> 00:02:12.000 throughout the Old Testament. 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:18.319 And as it gives us this story of Israel, it teaches us how to live and worship as the 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:25.560 people of God, especially in those places of life that feel like exile, that feel like 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:25.900 wilderness. 00:02:26.620 --> 00:02:32.680 And these verses here, in verses 13 through 15, in Psalm 106, refer back to a story in 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:37.439 the Old Testament in Numbers chapter 11 that was read earlier, where the people of Israel 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:40.500 grow discontent in the wilderness. 00:02:41.359 --> 00:02:44.180 They grow discontent about their food menu options. 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:47.819 And they start to complain against Moses and against the Lord. 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:52.300 And on the surface, you read this story, and this is something that might seem completely 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:52.659 harmless. 00:02:54.099 --> 00:03:01.039 But what we'll see is that discontent is actually more spiritually poisonous than it seems on 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:01.579 the surface. 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:07.019 And if we don't deal with it, it has the capacity to destroy us. 00:03:07.020 --> 00:03:12.200 And so this morning, we're going to look at, through Numbers chapter 11 and Psalm 106, we're 00:03:12.200 --> 00:03:14.100 going to look at the anatomy of discontent. 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:20.520 We're going to look at how discontent starts, where it leads, and how to deal with it. 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:23.920 So how it starts, where it leads, and how to deal with it. 00:03:24.480 --> 00:03:26.500 So first of all, how it starts. 00:03:27.420 --> 00:03:28.900 How does discontent start? 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:33.740 Well, Psalm 106, verse 13 says, they soon forgot his works. 00:03:33.820 --> 00:03:35.920 They did not wait for his counsel. 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:38.899 And soon is right. 00:03:39.419 --> 00:03:46.899 So for context, Jacob Rodriguez last week preached on the Exodus and the parting of the Red Sea 00:03:46.899 --> 00:03:49.979 and God miraculously saving his people from slavery in Egypt. 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:55.919 And in the story of the Old Testament, after the parting of the Red Sea, they then, after 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:58.859 about a three-month journey, come to Mount Sinai. 00:03:58.860 --> 00:04:08.660 And if you have your Bible open to Exodus chapter 19, Israel is actually at Mount Sinai from Exodus 00:04:08.660 --> 00:04:15.320 19 all the way through the book of Leviticus, all the way to Numbers chapter 10. 00:04:15.540 --> 00:04:17.000 They're at Mount Sinai the whole time. 00:04:17.259 --> 00:04:19.160 And that period of time is about 10 months. 00:04:19.580 --> 00:04:20.340 It's about 10 months. 00:04:20.339 --> 00:04:27.179 And so Numbers chapters 1, 1 through 10, talk about the preparations that Israel has to make 00:04:27.179 --> 00:04:31.139 in order to enter the promised land, in order to make their journey to Canaan. 00:04:32.119 --> 00:04:38.139 And you have to remember that Israel is a group of about 600,000 people. 00:04:39.379 --> 00:04:46.559 How do you get 600,000 people to move across the desert in an orderly fashion? 00:04:47.299 --> 00:04:48.500 How do you do that? 00:04:48.500 --> 00:04:51.740 Well, that's what the book of Numbers is about. 00:04:52.660 --> 00:04:53.839 That's what Numbers is about. 00:04:53.959 --> 00:05:00.480 And so keep in mind that as we read this story in Numbers 11, that it's been less than a year 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:01.639 since the Red Sea. 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:04.360 It's been about 10 months since they've been at Mount Sinai. 00:05:05.220 --> 00:05:07.939 And so here in Numbers 11, they start to head out. 00:05:08.180 --> 00:05:11.980 They start to make their journey towards the promised land. 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:12.740 And this is it. 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:18.100 Like, this is the journey that they have been waiting for while they were in Egypt, 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:20.240 and while they've been waiting at Mount Sinai. 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:23.220 God has miraculously delivered them from slavery. 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:25.660 He's led them into safety beyond the Red Sea. 00:05:25.760 --> 00:05:26.800 He makes a covenant with them. 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:27.760 He reveals his law. 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:30.400 He shows them how to live in a relationship with them. 00:05:30.760 --> 00:05:32.140 He appoints leaders for them. 00:05:32.900 --> 00:05:37.100 He assures them over and over again of his promises to lead them in the promised land. 00:05:37.100 --> 00:05:39.580 He provides manna for them to eat. 00:05:40.920 --> 00:05:44.680 He has rescued them, and he has provided for their every need. 00:05:46.360 --> 00:05:49.980 And then we read this in Numbers 11, verse 1. 00:05:49.980 --> 00:05:56.540 And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes. 00:05:57.600 --> 00:05:59.120 So imagine this scene. 00:06:00.819 --> 00:06:07.720 Imagine a family of five in a minivan as they are leaving for summer vacation to the beach. 00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:13.820 This is a scene that I'm sure is familiar to some of you, either recently or maybe in the near future. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:20.540 The family that's leaving for the beach the day before has been spent packing the minivan to the brim. 00:06:21.460 --> 00:06:23.040 The gas tank is full. 00:06:23.740 --> 00:06:25.120 Mom and dad have their coffee. 00:06:25.960 --> 00:06:28.240 The kids are in the backseat with their snacks. 00:06:29.340 --> 00:06:31.600 Frozen 2 on the DVD player has just started playing. 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:41.439 And the minivan backs out of the driveway and starts heading up the road and gets onto the ramp of Interstate 95 South. 00:06:42.660 --> 00:06:46.840 And the whole family is headed towards the promised land. 00:06:46.939 --> 00:06:49.379 They are headed towards the beach on Interstate 95. 00:06:51.140 --> 00:06:55.100 And then, out of nowhere, there's rebellion in the camp. 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:57.320 One of the kids starts crying. 00:06:57.820 --> 00:07:01.200 The two of the other ones start fighting each other and exchanging punches. 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:02.520 There's tears. 00:07:03.340 --> 00:07:04.800 There's goldfish flying everywhere. 00:07:05.320 --> 00:07:06.360 It's absolute chaos. 00:07:07.260 --> 00:07:11.600 And the parents in the front of the minivan are like, what in the world has just happened? 00:07:11.960 --> 00:07:13.220 What is going on? 00:07:14.100 --> 00:07:16.600 This is a small picture of what's happening here. 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:23.000 That despite all that God has done for them, despite where they're headed, the people grow discontent and they complain. 00:07:24.460 --> 00:07:24.980 Why? 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:27.600 The psalmist tells us in verse 13. 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:30.640 They forgot the Lord. 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:33.259 They forgot his works. 00:07:34.839 --> 00:07:41.759 Our discontentment about the circumstances of our lives, it starts, it begins with forgetting the Lord. 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:44.879 And this is not some kind of mental amnesia. 00:07:45.939 --> 00:07:47.899 The forgetting here is a spiritual issue. 00:07:48.199 --> 00:07:49.099 It's a spiritual problem. 00:07:49.100 --> 00:07:59.800 It's a failure to trust in what they already knew to be true about God based on how he had revealed himself in his words and in his deeds. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:04.439 After the parting of the Red Sea, everybody's on a spiritual high. 00:08:04.540 --> 00:08:05.879 Everybody feels close to Yahweh. 00:08:05.960 --> 00:08:06.800 They've seen his glory. 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:14.199 But eventually, the monotony of the wilderness starts to set in. 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:18.420 The heat of the desert starts to get wearisome. 00:08:18.420 --> 00:08:26.879 And the diet of manna every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner starts to become pretty boring. 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:35.279 And their discontentment is not something that probably happened overnight or even in a week or even in a month. 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:41.480 But over the course of several months, it was likely a slow process of this seed of discontent growing in their hearts. 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:45.340 Can anybody else relate to this? 00:08:46.340 --> 00:08:52.720 Maybe you can think back to times in your life where you felt closer to God, where you felt more like you were on a spiritual high. 00:08:53.560 --> 00:08:58.980 Worship and spiritual disciplines and prayer and reading the Word was easy for you. 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:01.000 God felt close to you. 00:09:02.259 --> 00:09:08.920 But then slowly over time, maybe the monotony of life has started to settle in. 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:14.259 And then you add to that that things don't always turn out the way that you expect. 00:09:15.419 --> 00:09:21.179 The circumstances and situations of your life don't always turn out as you planned or as you imagined. 00:09:22.519 --> 00:09:28.199 Perhaps your life even starts to feel like wilderness or like exile. 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:34.419 And there's a temptation in our hearts for the seed of discontentment to start growing. 00:09:34.419 --> 00:09:39.740 And slowly over time, you start to wonder, where is God in all of this? 00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:48.199 Where is God when things don't turn out as I expected they would or as I imagined or planned that they should? 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:50.979 Where is God in that? 00:09:50.980 --> 00:10:03.600 And the answer is that he is just as present in the monotony of the wilderness as he is in the glory of Mount Sinai. 00:10:03.920 --> 00:10:10.080 He is still the same covenant-keeping Lord who rescues and provides and who is present with his people. 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:15.600 But when we fail to trust in this reality, that is when discontent grows in our hearts. 00:10:17.660 --> 00:10:23.000 And unless we deal with it, it can lead us down a spiritually dangerous path. 00:10:24.500 --> 00:10:26.639 And so that is where discontentment starts. 00:10:27.680 --> 00:10:29.080 Now let's look at where it leads. 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:30.700 Where it leads. 00:10:31.500 --> 00:10:33.200 Psalm 106 verse 14 says, 00:10:33.200 --> 00:11:03.180 And if you have been reading this story, 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:12.700 You know that this statement, this complaint, is drenched in foolish irony. 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:15.540 It's drenched in foolish irony. 00:11:15.680 --> 00:11:20.440 Not only does it completely leave out the terrible situation that they were just in. 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:22.000 400 years of slavery. 00:11:22.700 --> 00:11:26.420 It also completely ignores where God has promised to take them. 00:11:26.800 --> 00:11:29.180 To a place that has this exact food. 00:11:29.179 --> 00:11:31.579 To a place overflowing with abundance. 00:11:31.719 --> 00:11:33.620 A place overflowing with milk and honey. 00:11:35.099 --> 00:11:40.919 Now, to be fair, I am not going to judge them for missing good food in the desert. 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:42.979 Like, I think that is only human. 00:11:44.620 --> 00:11:54.919 But it is the posture of their hearts that shows their glaring lack of trust and gratitude in the Lord who has rescued them and provided for them. 00:11:54.919 --> 00:12:24.899 They say, 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:31.279 We want something other than what He has for us. 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:34.480 And if given the choice, 00:12:35.179 --> 00:12:38.919 We would prefer to go back to slavery than move towards freedom. 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:46.879 Not only is this incredibly foolish, it's also incredibly prideful. 00:12:47.839 --> 00:12:49.839 It's incredibly prideful. 00:12:49.979 --> 00:12:53.819 Now, it's easy for us to read this story this morning and think, 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:55.599 How in the world is this possible? 00:12:56.740 --> 00:13:00.240 How in the world could these people be so foolish? 00:13:01.099 --> 00:13:01.240 Right? 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:07.440 But how many of us do this in our hearts all the time? 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:12.280 I think if we're honest, a lot of us would say that our hearts are prone to do this as well. 00:13:12.400 --> 00:13:13.720 My heart certainly is. 00:13:14.400 --> 00:13:21.780 At some point, when the monotony of life closes in around us and starts to make life feel small, 00:13:22.860 --> 00:13:26.440 And the circumstances of our lives are not as we imagined or expected, 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:29.800 That is a place where discontentment can grow. 00:13:30.500 --> 00:13:34.900 And our hearts can start to question the goodness and the character of God. 00:13:36.300 --> 00:13:40.040 His love, His grace, His sovereignty, His providence. 00:13:40.039 --> 00:13:43.719 It's possible to let our hearts get to the place where we think, 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:45.939 I know better than God. 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:51.779 I, you know, I want something else than what He has for me right now. 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:54.559 And if we let that grow over time, 00:13:55.159 --> 00:13:57.319 If we let it grow, if we water that, 00:13:58.179 --> 00:14:00.279 We can eventually get to the place where we say, 00:14:00.360 --> 00:14:00.779 You know what? 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:02.599 If given the choice, 00:14:03.639 --> 00:14:06.899 I really prefer life apart from God, 00:14:07.019 --> 00:14:08.199 Slavery apart from God, 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:09.879 Than freedom with Him. 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:15.980 And friends, this is not a place of a harmless complaint. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:20.860 This is a place of open rebellion against God. 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:25.259 And this is exactly what we see happening in this story. 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:28.519 Psalm 106, 14 interprets this story for us, 00:14:28.539 --> 00:14:31.299 And it tells us that they put God to the test. 00:14:33.559 --> 00:14:35.539 They were openly defiant against Him. 00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:38.899 You can imagine a child telling their mom or dad, 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:41.500 You know, you are a terrible parent. 00:14:42.539 --> 00:14:44.480 Everything you've done for me is meaningless to me. 00:14:45.139 --> 00:14:47.039 And I would rather live in an orphanage. 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:51.600 Parents, how would you feel if your child said that to you? 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:58.200 Well, Numbers chapter 11, verse 10 tells us how the Lord felt. 00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:04.779 Numbers 11, 10 says that the anger of the Lord blazed hotly. 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:07.659 The anger of the Lord blazed hotly. 00:15:07.740 --> 00:15:09.960 From the Lord's perspective, this wasn't just a harmless complaint. 00:15:10.060 --> 00:15:13.779 It was an open, defiant, personal rejection of Him. 00:15:13.779 --> 00:15:18.779 And this is a warning for all of us in the room this morning. 00:15:19.419 --> 00:15:28.039 That a life, a pattern of life of open rebellion against God will eventually lead to judgment. 00:15:28.699 --> 00:15:31.279 It will eventually lead to judgment. 00:15:31.419 --> 00:15:33.819 In Psalm 106, verse 15, it says, 00:15:33.820 --> 00:15:42.200 As the story goes on in Numbers 11, the Lord says, 00:15:42.420 --> 00:15:44.760 Okay, you want some meat? 00:15:45.500 --> 00:15:46.360 I'll give you some meat. 00:15:47.340 --> 00:15:52.020 I'm going to make you eat so much meat that it comes out of your nostrils and you are sick of it. 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:55.260 And so He sends them a flock of quail to hunt. 00:15:55.700 --> 00:15:57.300 And they go out and they hunt the quail. 00:15:57.680 --> 00:15:58.700 And they gather it up. 00:15:58.700 --> 00:16:01.220 And right as they're about to eat it. 00:16:02.500 --> 00:16:03.680 Verse 33 says, 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:09.160 While the meat was yet between their teeth and they had not ingested it, before it was consumed, 00:16:10.300 --> 00:16:14.379 the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people. 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:18.520 And the Lord struck them down with a plague. 00:16:21.860 --> 00:16:25.700 The hand of Yahweh comes down. 00:16:25.700 --> 00:16:32.700 To judge and discipline His people for their rebellion against Him. 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:38.280 And friends, if we don't deal with the seed of discontent in our hearts, 00:16:38.780 --> 00:16:40.540 this is eventually where it leads. 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:49.060 Now, I want to address this briefly because I think when we read stories of judgment in the Old Testament, 00:16:50.140 --> 00:16:52.780 it can be troubling for a lot of us. 00:16:52.779 --> 00:16:56.779 It can be troubling for modern people, whether or not you've grown up in the church, 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:58.139 whether or not you're religious or not. 00:16:58.179 --> 00:17:00.559 We read this and we think, how is this fair? 00:17:02.059 --> 00:17:06.559 Many of us have trouble with the idea of a God of judgment in the Old Testament. 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:09.879 So let me just say a few things and address this briefly. 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:13.660 The first thing I want to say about this is that 00:17:13.660 --> 00:17:17.000 if you care about justice in the world, 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:20.580 the Old Testament is actually your friend. 00:17:21.300 --> 00:17:26.519 It's actually your friend because much of the law in the Old Testament is centered around social justice. 00:17:26.759 --> 00:17:32.840 It's ordered around care for the vulnerable, care for the poor, care for the widow, care for the stranger. 00:17:33.560 --> 00:17:37.700 The Bible just takes justice one step further than our culture does. 00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:42.519 Because the Bible says that injustice isn't just something that happens out there in the world. 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:46.380 It is also inside each and every single one of us. 00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:49.600 It is both social and personal. 00:17:49.740 --> 00:17:55.299 And it is because God is a God of justice that he takes personal sin seriously. 00:17:56.600 --> 00:17:59.180 God cares about systemic sin in the world. 00:17:59.180 --> 00:18:02.279 But he also cares about personal sin. 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:04.680 And he judges both. 00:18:05.660 --> 00:18:06.779 Judges both. 00:18:08.360 --> 00:18:12.400 And secondly, so given that God is a God of justice 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:16.420 and given what Scripture says about how seriously the Lord takes sin, 00:18:17.720 --> 00:18:21.960 it's actually not surprising that there's judgment in the Old Testament. 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:26.080 It's actually not surprising given who God has revealed himself to be. 00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:29.240 It's surprising that there's not more. 00:18:30.460 --> 00:18:33.480 It's surprising that there's not more instances of judgment. 00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:38.199 What we see over and over again is that the Lord relents time and time again 00:18:38.199 --> 00:18:39.919 from judging his people when they deserved it. 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:42.419 He is incredibly patient with them. 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:46.419 He is full of compassion and forgiveness and mercy. 00:18:47.679 --> 00:18:51.720 Even here in the text, we see that God's discipline is limited in scope. 00:18:52.500 --> 00:18:55.559 God's discipline here is merciful because in verse 34, 00:18:56.039 --> 00:19:01.660 verse 34 tells us that his judgment was only limited to a certain number of people. 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:05.220 It doesn't tell us how many, but it tells us that it was only limited to a certain number. 00:19:06.980 --> 00:19:13.400 Third, when it comes to thinking about God's judgment throughout Scripture, 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:15.839 Christians hold two truths together. 00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:22.879 We believe that in the gospel, all of the judgment in the Old Testament is a shadow of when Jesus would experience 00:19:22.879 --> 00:19:25.980 all of the judgment of God for sin on the cross. 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:31.199 And because he did that, everyone who trusts in Christ are fully forgiven of their sin. 00:19:31.859 --> 00:19:32.679 Romans 8.1 says, 00:19:32.839 --> 00:19:35.339 There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:36.439 Full stop. 00:19:37.699 --> 00:19:38.379 Full stop. 00:19:38.380 --> 00:19:42.780 If you're in Christ, you no longer have to fear the judgment of God. 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:50.300 And at the same time, the Lord disciplines those he loves. 00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:54.160 He disciplines those who are in Christ. 00:19:54.320 --> 00:19:56.320 Just as parents discipline children that they love, 00:19:56.680 --> 00:20:01.040 God is a good father who both forgives and disciplines his children out of love. 00:20:01.620 --> 00:20:03.640 And we see several warnings in this place, 00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:08.259 several warnings about this in places like 1 Corinthians 10 and Hebrews 12. 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:12.780 All right, so having said all that, 00:20:13.600 --> 00:20:15.080 let me just suggest this. 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:20.680 If passages about divine judgment trouble us, 00:20:21.460 --> 00:20:23.200 as I'm sure they do for some of us, 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:29.000 let me suggest that it may actually be an opportunity 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:33.140 to reflect on the ways 00:20:33.140 --> 00:20:38.079 that we have become cavalier about sin in our own lives. 00:20:39.859 --> 00:20:43.380 It may actually be an opportunity to reflect on the ways 00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:46.119 that we have been indifferent to the cost and to the danger 00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:48.440 of sin in our lives. 00:20:50.180 --> 00:20:52.720 Perhaps a sin like discontentment. 00:20:53.900 --> 00:20:57.039 A sin that is more dangerous than it might appear on the surface. 00:20:57.039 --> 00:21:01.200 A sin that ultimately is about a lack of trust in the goodness 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:02.379 and the character of God. 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:04.399 And that if we let it, 00:21:05.200 --> 00:21:07.559 it can eventually lead us down the path of pride 00:21:07.559 --> 00:21:09.240 and foolishness and rebellion. 00:21:09.539 --> 00:21:10.779 And even to a place 00:21:10.779 --> 00:21:14.659 where we experience the hand of the Lord's discipline and judgment. 00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:18.240 All right, so finally, 00:21:19.099 --> 00:21:20.960 here's the good news. 00:21:21.659 --> 00:21:23.599 If that's where discontentment starts, 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:26.240 and if that's where it leads us, 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:28.519 if that's where it can eventually lead us, 00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:30.099 how do we deal with it? 00:21:30.619 --> 00:21:31.759 How do we nip it in the bud? 00:21:31.919 --> 00:21:34.980 How do we nip the seed of discontentment in the bud? 00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:38.539 How do we instead cultivate lives of gratitude and worship? 00:21:39.939 --> 00:21:43.439 Especially, especially when it feels like we're in, 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:46.579 we are in the monotonous wilderness of life. 00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:51.779 Especially when our circumstances have not turned out 00:21:51.779 --> 00:21:53.639 as we expected or planned or imagined. 00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:58.319 The 17th century Puritan writer Jeremiah Burroughs 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:01.480 wrote a book called The Rare Jewel of Contentment 00:22:01.480 --> 00:22:02.500 that I commend to you. 00:22:03.379 --> 00:22:06.319 And Jeremiah Burroughs defines contentment this way. 00:22:07.199 --> 00:22:07.559 He says, 00:22:07.559 --> 00:22:26.139 It's a state of the heart. 00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:27.980 It's a place of the heart that says, 00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:55.500 That's what contentment looks like. 00:22:55.500 --> 00:22:59.299 That's what trust in the goodness and sovereignty of God 00:22:59.299 --> 00:23:01.440 amongst every situation looks like. 00:23:02.359 --> 00:23:03.359 So how do you get there? 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:04.920 How do you get there? 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:06.700 Well, the answer comes from the first two verses 00:23:06.700 --> 00:23:09.920 of Psalm 106 that were read earlier. 00:23:10.299 --> 00:23:13.880 And it is to remember the steadfast love of the Lord. 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:16.099 Verses 1 and 2 say, 00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:18.079 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, 00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:20.680 for his steadfast love endures forever. 00:23:21.299 --> 00:23:23.000 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:25.019 or fully declare his praise? 00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:29.480 I wonder what it would have looked like 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:31.740 for the people of Israel in the wilderness 00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:34.680 to instead of complaining, 00:23:34.900 --> 00:23:38.400 to start to remember the steadfast love of the Lord 00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:40.980 as the discontent in their hearts started growing. 00:23:42.660 --> 00:23:44.240 It may have looked like, 00:23:44.839 --> 00:23:46.119 in their corporate worship, 00:23:46.799 --> 00:23:47.880 in their homes, 00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:50.640 around their campfires, 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:55.060 reflecting together on the words that God had spoke to them 00:23:55.060 --> 00:23:56.740 and what God had done for them in the past year, 00:23:57.180 --> 00:24:00.140 reflecting on the words that God had spoke to Moses 00:24:00.140 --> 00:24:01.860 all the way back in Exodus chapter 3, 00:24:02.280 --> 00:24:04.259 I have surely seen the affliction of my people 00:24:04.259 --> 00:24:05.259 and I have heard their cry. 00:24:05.780 --> 00:24:07.000 I know about their sufferings 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:08.860 and I have come down to deliver them 00:24:08.860 --> 00:24:11.120 and to bring them up out of that land 00:24:11.120 --> 00:24:12.960 to a land flowing with milk and honey. 00:24:12.960 --> 00:24:16.740 It could have involved sitting around the campfire 00:24:16.740 --> 00:24:17.779 and telling stories 00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:20.579 of all the miraculous scenes of Exodus, 00:24:21.500 --> 00:24:22.740 the plagues, the Passover, 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.200 the journey to the sea, 00:24:24.620 --> 00:24:25.480 the parting of the waters, 00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:28.360 God's glorious and mighty presence on Mount Sinai. 00:24:28.359 --> 00:24:31.359 It could have involved remembering 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:33.819 and reflecting together on God's words to Moses 00:24:33.819 --> 00:24:35.299 in Exodus 19. 00:24:36.259 --> 00:24:38.379 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians 00:24:38.379 --> 00:24:40.399 and how I bore you on eagles' wings 00:24:40.399 --> 00:24:41.419 and brought you to myself. 00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:44.599 Now, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, 00:24:45.399 --> 00:24:47.039 you shall be my treasured possession 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:48.500 among all the peoples. 00:24:50.399 --> 00:24:53.000 And as they reflected on the words of Yahweh 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:54.199 that had been spoken to them 00:24:54.199 --> 00:24:56.079 and as they shared their stories 00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:58.960 of how they had witnessed God's mighty acts, 00:25:00.399 --> 00:25:02.339 do you know what they might have been reminded of? 00:25:04.179 --> 00:25:06.539 Do you know what they might have been encouraged by? 00:25:08.039 --> 00:25:10.019 I think what they would have been reminded of 00:25:10.019 --> 00:25:11.019 and encouraged by 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:16.460 is that Yahweh is a God who sees 00:25:16.460 --> 00:25:21.720 and who hears the suffering of his people 00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:23.599 and who comes to rescue them 00:25:23.599 --> 00:25:24.699 and dwell with them 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:26.180 and lead them into life 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:28.480 and holiness and flourishing. 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:31.759 And even though we're not there yet, 00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:34.100 even though we're not where we want to be, 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:35.480 even though things right now 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:37.900 are not as we would have imagined they would be, 00:25:38.039 --> 00:25:39.680 even though it's taking longer than expected, 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:42.059 even though our hearts feel discontent, 00:25:43.019 --> 00:25:45.100 you know what's true? 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:50.799 What's true is that we can trust this God. 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:52.279 He's rescued us. 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:54.180 He's revealed his glory. 00:25:54.319 --> 00:25:55.399 He's kept his promises. 00:25:56.059 --> 00:25:58.079 He's provided for us every step of the way. 00:25:59.139 --> 00:26:01.539 And he's present with us right now 00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:05.059 because he is the God 00:26:05.059 --> 00:26:08.619 who keeps his covenant. 00:26:08.759 --> 00:26:11.960 He is the covenant-keeping Lord of steadfast love. 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:12.799 That is who he is. 00:26:15.700 --> 00:26:16.480 Brothers and sisters, 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:18.960 if you are dealing with discontent this morning, 00:26:19.539 --> 00:26:22.360 if you are in a situation in life 00:26:22.360 --> 00:26:25.559 where things have not turned out as you planned 00:26:25.559 --> 00:26:27.559 or hoped 00:26:27.559 --> 00:26:30.460 or expected or imagined, 00:26:31.519 --> 00:26:34.620 if life feels more like the wilderness 00:26:34.619 --> 00:26:36.019 or exile 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:38.059 than the promised land, 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:41.559 if that's you, 00:26:43.179 --> 00:26:44.419 let me invite you. 00:26:44.759 --> 00:26:47.899 Remember the steadfast love of the Lord. 00:26:48.059 --> 00:26:50.419 Remember the steadfast love of the Lord. 00:26:50.479 --> 00:26:51.439 Whatever you're going through, 00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:52.819 whatever your circumstances, 00:26:54.579 --> 00:26:55.579 God sees. 00:26:56.759 --> 00:26:57.759 He knows. 00:26:59.000 --> 00:26:59.879 He hears. 00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:01.479 He cares. 00:27:01.480 --> 00:27:03.519 The same God who was with you 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:04.960 when you felt close to him, 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:06.799 when you were on a spiritual high, 00:27:07.319 --> 00:27:08.779 that same God is with you 00:27:08.779 --> 00:27:10.539 in the monotony of the wilderness. 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:13.079 And you can trust him. 00:27:13.860 --> 00:27:14.620 He's with you. 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:16.400 He'll provide for you. 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:17.900 He's kept his promises 00:27:17.900 --> 00:27:19.200 and he always will 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:22.279 because he is the covenant-keeping Lord 00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:24.000 of steadfast love. 00:27:26.339 --> 00:27:27.099 And Israel 00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:31.160 had all of the resources that they needed 00:27:31.160 --> 00:27:33.040 to remember this 00:27:33.040 --> 00:27:34.320 and trust this 00:27:34.320 --> 00:27:35.200 and act upon this 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:35.600 in the wilderness. 00:27:36.700 --> 00:27:37.980 But they chose not to. 00:27:40.620 --> 00:27:41.519 But friends, 00:27:41.700 --> 00:27:44.340 we have even more resources 00:27:44.340 --> 00:27:45.500 than they did 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:46.560 to remember 00:27:46.560 --> 00:27:48.000 the steadfast love 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:48.700 of the Lord. 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:49.920 We have even more 00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:51.460 things to reflect on 00:27:51.460 --> 00:27:51.900 and remember 00:27:51.900 --> 00:27:53.600 because we haven't just experienced 00:27:53.600 --> 00:27:54.620 the glory of God 00:27:54.620 --> 00:27:55.340 on Mount Sinai. 00:27:57.200 --> 00:27:58.740 We have seen his glory 00:27:58.740 --> 00:27:59.720 fully revealed 00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:00.980 in the face of Jesus Christ. 00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:04.160 We haven't just seen him 00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:05.279 save his people 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:06.519 by the parting of the Red Sea. 00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:09.759 We've seen him save his people 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:11.360 by overcoming sin 00:28:11.360 --> 00:28:11.980 and death 00:28:11.980 --> 00:28:13.060 and hell and Satan 00:28:13.060 --> 00:28:14.120 in his resurrection. 00:28:15.420 --> 00:28:16.860 We haven't just experienced 00:28:16.860 --> 00:28:17.460 his provision 00:28:17.460 --> 00:28:18.660 through manna 00:28:18.660 --> 00:28:19.480 in the wilderness. 00:28:21.380 --> 00:28:22.460 We have Jesus, 00:28:22.620 --> 00:28:23.540 the bread of life, 00:28:23.900 --> 00:28:25.500 who offers himself 00:28:25.500 --> 00:28:26.300 to us 00:28:26.300 --> 00:28:27.400 at this table 00:28:27.400 --> 00:28:28.259 this morning. 00:28:28.259 --> 00:28:30.839 we haven't just experienced 00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:31.379 his presence 00:28:31.379 --> 00:28:32.279 in the pillar of cloud 00:28:32.279 --> 00:28:32.720 by day 00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:33.700 and the pillar of fire 00:28:33.700 --> 00:28:34.279 by night. 00:28:36.140 --> 00:28:37.960 We have his Holy Spirit 00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:39.500 dwelling inside us 00:28:39.500 --> 00:28:40.480 to commune with us 00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:41.740 even more intimately 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:42.539 and to lead us 00:28:42.539 --> 00:28:43.920 even more closely. 00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:45.960 Friends, 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:46.859 don't miss it. 00:28:47.900 --> 00:28:49.140 All of the resources 00:28:49.140 --> 00:28:50.000 that we need 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:51.579 to deal with our discontent, 00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:52.559 all of the resources 00:28:52.559 --> 00:28:53.259 that we need 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:54.119 to remember 00:28:54.119 --> 00:28:55.059 the steadfast love 00:28:55.059 --> 00:28:55.579 of the Lord, 00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:57.399 we already possess 00:28:57.399 --> 00:28:58.119 in Christ. 00:28:59.259 --> 00:29:00.440 We already possess 00:29:00.440 --> 00:29:01.619 in him. 00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:04.440 In your life, 00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:07.019 it may not be right now 00:29:07.019 --> 00:29:07.740 as you imagined 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:08.759 or thought it would. 00:29:10.220 --> 00:29:11.480 Your life may feel more 00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:12.099 like the wilderness 00:29:12.099 --> 00:29:12.759 right now. 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:14.799 You may be starting 00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:16.200 to feel some discontentment. 00:29:19.079 --> 00:29:20.139 But discontentment 00:29:20.139 --> 00:29:21.039 does not have to be 00:29:21.039 --> 00:29:21.899 the status quo 00:29:21.899 --> 00:29:23.059 for you or for me. 00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:27.059 as we look to Jesus 00:29:27.059 --> 00:29:28.799 and remember 00:29:28.799 --> 00:29:30.339 his steadfast love 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:32.460 in our worship 00:29:32.460 --> 00:29:33.759 here on Sunday morning, 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:35.559 in our homes, 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:36.759 around our tables, 00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:39.119 as we look to him 00:29:39.119 --> 00:29:39.679 and remember 00:29:39.679 --> 00:29:40.819 his steadfast love, 00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:43.279 the discontent 00:29:43.279 --> 00:29:43.879 in our hearts 00:29:43.879 --> 00:29:44.839 can slowly, 00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:46.500 little by little, 00:29:46.859 --> 00:29:47.879 give way to gratitude 00:29:47.879 --> 00:29:49.480 and praise and joy. 00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:53.200 And it can lead us 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:54.819 to a place 00:29:54.819 --> 00:29:55.400 where we're able 00:29:55.400 --> 00:29:55.980 to say, 00:29:57.220 --> 00:29:59.720 the Lord knows 00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:02.339 how to order things 00:30:02.339 --> 00:30:03.860 better than I. 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:08.360 The Lord sees 00:30:08.360 --> 00:30:11.519 further than I do. 00:30:14.120 --> 00:30:15.240 And how do I know? 00:30:15.240 --> 00:30:18.200 But that had it not been 00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:18.900 for this affliction, 00:30:19.900 --> 00:30:21.740 I should have been undone. 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:24.859 And friends, 00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:25.900 that is a place 00:30:25.900 --> 00:30:27.099 of contentment. 00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:29.099 That is a place 00:30:29.099 --> 00:30:29.519 of freedom. 00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:31.819 And that is a place 00:30:31.819 --> 00:30:32.759 of joy. 00:30:33.779 --> 00:30:34.299 Let's pray. 00:30:37.099 --> 00:30:37.740 Father in heaven, 00:30:37.819 --> 00:30:38.640 thank you for your word. 00:30:39.880 --> 00:30:40.319 Lord, thank you 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:41.799 that you do not leave us 00:30:41.799 --> 00:30:43.639 without provision 00:30:43.639 --> 00:30:44.539 for the wilderness 00:30:44.539 --> 00:30:45.440 and exile of life. 00:30:45.539 --> 00:30:46.180 Thank you that you 00:30:46.180 --> 00:30:48.299 have given us 00:30:48.299 --> 00:30:49.599 your son. 00:30:50.879 --> 00:30:52.000 Lord, that we have 00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:53.019 all the resources 00:30:53.019 --> 00:30:53.619 in the world 00:30:53.619 --> 00:30:54.339 to remember 00:30:54.339 --> 00:30:55.519 your steadfast love 00:30:55.519 --> 00:30:56.539 for us. 00:30:57.259 --> 00:30:57.480 Lord, 00:30:58.519 --> 00:30:59.579 for all those 00:30:59.579 --> 00:31:00.159 in this room 00:31:00.159 --> 00:31:00.919 who are experiencing 00:31:00.919 --> 00:31:01.779 discontent this morning, 00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:02.379 I pray that we would 00:31:02.379 --> 00:31:02.960 look to you, 00:31:03.740 --> 00:31:04.720 that we would remember 00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:05.599 your steadfast love 00:31:05.599 --> 00:31:06.500 and that we would see 00:31:06.500 --> 00:31:08.839 that you are 00:31:08.839 --> 00:31:10.019 the covenant-keeping Lord 00:31:10.019 --> 00:31:11.200 who is always with us 00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:11.960 and who will always 00:31:11.960 --> 00:31:12.680 keep his promises. 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:15.580 In the name of the Father 00:31:15.580 --> 00:31:16.039 and the Son 00:31:16.039 --> 00:31:16.680 and the Holy Spirit. 00:31:17.380 --> 00:31:17.580 Amen.