God who cures (exodus 15:22-26)
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. 23 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. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he 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, 26 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.”
Intro)
Today's text is about when people of Israel earned freedom, but could not find water in the wilderness. Three days after Israel’s exodus they could only find water in Red sea, that was too bitter to drink. They started to blame Moses for it.. God responded to Moses' prayer and told him to throw a tree into water. When Moses' followed direction, miracle happened, which once was bitter water, turned into sweet fresh water by God's grace.
Body) God cures bitter water of sin
After Adam sinned people kept creating bitter water of sin. If we don't take care of this problem it will become toxic in our mind and blind our sight. we won't be able to see God nor we can work for God's world.
In Isaiah 43:24 it says 'You have bought Me no sweet cane with money,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
But you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have wearied Me with your iniquities.' Sin is something that brings pain to people and God. If we commit crime God will feel the pain as well we do. However, this bitter water of sin cannot be fixed by human's knowledge and power.
God told Moses to throw a tree into water to solve Marah's bitter water, which is symbolic for wooden holy cross that Jesus Christ carried.
Therefore, Saint Paul says, Gospel of cross is meaningless to who is going to fall, but it is wisdom of God to who seeks for salvation.
Jesus and God are only way for salvation and curing bitter water of our life.
In book of John 14:6 says 'Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'
Prophet Isaiah said "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.' (Isaiah 53:5) Jesus is not an existence for you can either believe or not. You must have to believe to earn salvation. The key to make your life sweet from bitter is believing in Jesus.
B) God cures bitter water of hatred and wrath.
Hatred and wrath destroy yourself and others.
However, after Adam and eve's era people always have hatred and wrath in their mind, they always create bitter water out of their lives.
Toseukanini, became a conductor of orchestra earned his reputation by representing his great musical talent. However, he was also known as a person who couldn't control his rage. In an orchestra if one of the players made a mistake, he couldn't hold his rage and throw whatever in his reach. one day in the orchestra practice one of the players made a noticeable mistake his face filled with rage as he grabbed his expensive watch that he placed on the podium and threw it on the ground very hard. Toseukanini lost his watch, but often we lose more valuable things that cannot be replaced with money. There is a famous anatomist named John Hunton. John says 'who rages is who suicides. Rage will kill yourself before you bully someone else.' one day in an anatomy meeting other doctor was criticizing John, and John started to rage and talk back to other doctor. John ended up dying of a heart attack due to his rage.
Person who taught people to not to rage died by raging.
In Japan Osaka Japanese performed an experiment. The experiment was lightly beating the dog that was leashed. The dog had to take light beat for up to 4 hours straight. The dog was so mad that it looked like he was going to kill anybody on sight. The scientist draw blood out of the dog and in blood there was a poison called cyanogen. The poison that was created by one dog that had the strength to kill 80 normal dogs. Surprisingly, when human rages human can create 1.3 times stronger poison than cyanogen. So, if we worry too much and hold hatred it will create poison inside of us and will harm us. Solomon says in Proverbs 17:22 " A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.' Jesus overcame hatred on cross. People nailed Jesus on cross who did not sin. However, Jesus prayed ' “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
And they divided His garments and cast lots. (Luke 23:34)
Like Jesus won over feelings of hatred and wrath people who hold Jesus' cross will be able to win hatred and wrath.
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Let me introduce the story of Deaconess Yongmoon Kim. Deaconess Kim's husband was a gambler and an alcoholic. Therefore, wife Kim had to start a life of peddler. She went through many hardships as she worked outside her pelvis crooked and she had to limp for 18 years. Her pelvis popped out about size of adult's palm on the side. She must have physical pain, but she was mentally challenged. Her mind and her body were slowly breaking apart due to hatred and wrath against her husband. After 18 years of hardships she decides to attend church. Listening to God's word made her rethink about her husband and she decides to let it go. Under Jesus's cross she repents her sin and forgives her husband. Jesus cured her hatred and wrath. Now her mind was cured her body was slowly starting to be cured. She was heated she started to build strong faith and join many church works. And one day when she woke up from sleep and her pelvis came back to its own place that was bullying her for 18years. She hugged Jesus' Cross and forgave her husband's sin and refreshed her mind that was lost in hatred and wrath, but she received cure. Hallelujah!
C) God cures bitter water of fear and unrest.
When we commit a crime bitter water of fear and unrest creates in our mind.
When Adam commits crime towards God he feared and hid behind of tree when God came by.
Today scientific civilization is well developed but in people's mind there are more fear and unrest were created compared to past. This is because there are more sins exist now than in the past.
Professor, John Donald of Yale analyzes human's fear into 7 patterns. First is fear for failure, second is fear for another sex, third is fear for own weakness, fourth is fear of trusting others, fifth is fear wrong thoughts human creates, sixth is fear of verbal mistakes, seventh is living alone in this world. In fact there could be more fears in our mind such as economical, relationship, future, illness, death etc. We have many kinds of fear buried in our mind.
In WWII there are 300 thousand young American soldiers were lost, there were 1000 thousand of people who died because of too much concerns they made in their mind after sending their son or husband to war. Ironically, 3 times the amount (civilians) died during the war compared to number of soldiers who died in war, because they were worried and caused dysfunctions.
If you go to Washington D.C there is a bible stored that Lincoln used to use. However, there is a finger print that was made by pressing same place over and over, which was Psalm 34:4 ' I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.' Lincoln's fear was cured by living God's grace.
Also, it was same God who gave David endless courage and peacefulness in countless wars. I hope you do believe this God is the same and only God we believe. Hallelujah!
D) God, sweetens bitter water of frustration and despair
It is easy to live with bitter of frustration and desperation in our lives. In the past Søren Aabye Kierkegaard said "Despair is illness causing death."
If our minds are full of bitter water of frstration and despair, life wouldn't be happy at all, and when it gets out of hand it can lead us to death.
There was a house wife that lived in Kyungpook pohang, and her husband often scolded her because she was not good enough like his mother. one day, she killed two of her sons and killed herself, and left her will, saying ‘I, I tried as far I could,, but all you did was yelling at me. I'm not a person that can replace your mother, so here I go.’ such a shame.
If we understand the cross and believe in its ability God will provide us by living hope to overcome our despair. If we take a look at book of 1 Peter 1:3-4 it says ' 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you'
Famous German theologian doctor Jürgen Moltmann used to talk about 'Theology of hope'.
During WWII, when he turned 17, he was forced to join German army and captured by Englishman as captive. He was desperate in concentration camp, because he heard news that his family was all killed due to bomb. He decided to kill himself thinking 'there is no hope living in this world with Contempt.' At that time Pastor gave him a bible. Moltmann read about the part of how Jesus died. Jesus offered many graces and love to people, but at the end he had to face a lonely death. This part of bible made him realize that there could be a resurrection in him. Moltmann thought of himself 'maybe if I believe in Jesus German could rise and Shattered Hamburg come back! So, he started believing in Jesus. After accepting Jesus he experienced that his life turned into bright light from the grey.
If there is anyone lost in despair? Think about Jesus' cross, and hope of resurrection.
Con) Everyone! Jesus' cross has ability to change our bitter water to sweet water that is located deep inside of us. Cross of Jesus will cure our bitter water of sin, hatred, wrath, unrest, fear, frustration, and despair to sweet water. Until then we should look at the cross and pray. Hallelujah!