Honey in the Rock

Psalm 81

2 Tim 3:16-17

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Often the Lord will impress upon my heart a verse, phrase or idea from Scripture from which to preach. I usually have a sense of what the Lord wants to say, but sometimes it doesn’t turn out that way. We, as humans, often misinterpret meanings. We think one thing while the other person meant another. This is what sometimes happens with sermon topics. The notion that I received from the Spirit’s “highlighting” the verse in my heart, turns out to be completely different than what He really wants to say. And this is what has happened with this sermon.

Read Psalm 81.

We find that the Psalmist, Asaph, pens a “retrospective glance at Israel’s early history” (Keil&Delitzsch). Here we find that Israel has been liberated from their bondage to Egypt, and now journeys through the wilderness on their way to the great Land of Promise. God warns them to make no other gods before Him, not to worship the god of a foreign country. But the Children of Israel did not obey the Lord. It says that they “did not listen to my voice, and Israel did not obey me”.

 

Now, in our modern American society we do not worship carved images of some deity. We do not offer incense or fruit to show appreciation, or gain favor from some nether worldly being. No, we are more sophisticated. We worship the selfish trinity made up of the great “Me, Myself, and I”. We worship ourselves. We have been baptized in the spirit of self with the evidence of speaking our own minds regardless of who, what, where, when, or why.

The mindset of America is “what can I get”, “I may have to give a little to get what I want, but so long as I give just the minimum, and if things get out of hand or life gets too hard, then I don’t want it anymore, because its not worth the hassle.” We sacrifice the lasting and fulfilling rewards of the future for the instant and empty pleasure which lasts but seconds. America is selfish; America is greedy.

And as Christians in America it is so easy to get caught up in her selfishness and greed because we are surrounded by it every day, all day long. The purpose of this sermon is not the dragging of America through the mud, or to wave a self-righteous finger in Uncle Sam’s face. I am an American, and I love America, and thank God for this nation. America is not the only nation at fault; the whole of humanity is basically selfish and greedy.

This is the nature of the flesh. We may seemingly find it more predominate in America because there is

 

so much that we can have, and easy means by which to obtain it. When we want things bad enough, we usually find a way to get it, and get it now.

While in the wilderness Israel wined, complain, and moaned over just about everything. The water was too bitter, there was nothing to eat, it was too hot, the road was too dusty, the people of the surrounding nations were too mean and nasty.

All the while God had turned bitter water into sweet, rained manna from heaven upon them, and when that wasn’t enough He gave them meat, and provided victory over their enemies. Scripture even records that during their 40-year tour of the Middle Eastern Countryside their clothes did not wear out, and their feet didn’t swell (Deut 8:4). When you walk around a lot your feet tend to swell, but the Children of Israel never had that problem.

Elsewhere, (Psalm 105:37

 

KJV

) it records that God led them out and there was not one feeble or weak among them. In other words, God kept them in perfect health as they followed Him. It is unfortunate, however, that though they may have physically followed the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (because who wants to be deserted in a desert?), they were not always whole-heartedly pursuing God or holding fast to His word.

They thought that

 

they knew best. Of course, what THEY wanted was best for them, right? They would listen to God with one ear and let it go out the other, and then follow after the desires of their own hearts. We see this exemplified at 

Sinai. Moses had gone up the mountain to meet with the Lord, and the children of Israel became impatient and decided that they would worship another god.

The God who had delivered them out of Egypt with great signs and wonders was taking too long, so in their me-first, I-want-it-now selfishness they decided to make an idol and designate it as their great deliverer. They substituted the truth for a lie. For their stubbornness and hardness of heart the Lord wanted to obliterate them from off the planet, but Moses went to bat for them, and the Lord honored Moses’ request.

This wasn’t the only time they hardened their hearts, there were many times. Another graphic illustration was when the people had grown impatient because of the long trek, and they began to wine and complain instead of praising God and offering Him their hearts in thanksgiving for His provision and presence among them along the way. Out of irritation the Lord sent “fiery serpents” to bite them.

Matthew Henry says in his commentary on this verse,

 

These serpents are called fiery, from their colour, or from their rage, or from the effects of their bitings, inflaming the body, putting it immediately into a high fever, scorching it with an insatiable thirst. They had unjustly complained for want of water, [so] to chastise them…God sends upon them this thirst, which no water would quench. [Those who previously cried without a just cause now have that cause given to them.] They distrustfully concluded that they must die in the wilderness, and God took them at their word, chose their delusions, and brought their unbelieving fears upon them; many of them did die. (comm. on Numbers 21:4-9).

God responds to people’s faith, and God answered them according to theirs. Their faith was not in the goodness of God, but rather that God had evil intentions in bringing them out into the wilderness. Because they had  hardened their hearts against obedience to the Lord, He gave them over to the evil desire of their heart.

This is also what happened when they were not satisfied with the supernatural provision of manna from heaven, and wanted the meat of earthly animals. God said, “You want it, you got it, till you get so full of it that it comes out of your nose!”

We find this concept reiterated by Paul in Rom 1:18-28. He writes, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and  unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be

 

dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.

Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper…”

Because of their own selfish willfulness, and the hardening of their rebellious hearts to do want they wanted to do regardless, God gave, and gives, them over to their own wickedness. God said, “You want it so badly, okay, here you go, have your fill of it!”

But, before we point fingers, and say, “Naughty Children of Israel”, we have to be honest and admit that we are sometimes like that too! God has been so loving and caring, tenderly and thoughtfully providing for our every need, and sometimes those we didn’t even know were there, and yet we demand more. Our heart becomes hardened. It doesn’t happen overnight, but is a gradual progression descending the downward spiral.

 

We begin to take God’s provision for granted. What God has supernaturally given to us is not good enough. We begin to whine and complain. We start treating holy things as if they were common.

Perhaps you had been believing God for a vehicle, and He supernaturally provides one. And oh, its wonderful, expect “I wish the interior was a slightly different hue, and the windows in the back only go partly down and I wish they would go all the way down. The gas tank only holds 13 gallons, and it would’ve been really nice if it held 15. The headlights aren’t as bright as I wish they would be, and the blinker blinks rapidly and I like slow blinkers.” I think you get the picture. Your heart gets hard towards God and you become ungrateful. You become so selfish and self-centered that you turn a deaf ear as the Spirit deals with you to focus on Christ and what He has done.

The One whom you used to long for time with and earnestly yearned to know more intimately gradually begins to be the One you take for granted, the One whom you try to quiet when He convicts your heart about your self-will and pride. He’s the One who is holy enough on Sundays and Wednesdays for six hours of your time, but not holy enough for the other 162 hours of the week.

You earnestly seek Him while others can take notice, but as soon as you get in the car to go home, you take the spiritually devout mask off, and let the real you come out from hiding. Instead of finding fulfillment and liberty in His presence, 

 

you find that, in His presence, you must restrain who you really are, because other people might look down on you. Who cares about other people, when the Lord Jesus

sees all, hears all, and knows all?

He is the One who will judge you on the final day, not the TV preacher, not your pastor, not the deacons, not the one who sits next to you in the pew every service. Are you putting on a religious act to please men, and gain their acceptance, or are you genuinely moved in the depths of your being by the Holy presence of God? Are you so in love with Jesus that what other people might think about you doesn’t matter to you, because you have a open and honest relationship with the Son of God? What

 

He thinks is the only thing that matters.

You might not have all the worship songs memorized or can quote Hymn number and title, and you may even be the last one to find the text for the Sunday’s sermon, but all of that doesn’t matter, because you’re so in love with Jesus and so excited about Him that if you could fly you would fly to the moon and back a thousand times in two seconds!

It’s not about how religious you act or how spiritual other people think you are, it’s how well you know Jesus, and even more importantly, how well Jesus knows you. In that day, not all who say Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in  your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus will declare to them, “I 

 

never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

You may be able to prophesy, have the most famous healing ministry of all time, have great visions of angelic hosts, but none of that matters if Jesus doesn’t know you. You say and act like you know Jesus, but does Jesus know you?

Is your heart submitted to His will? Are you obedient to the sweet and tender call of the Spirit to know Christ, or are you obedient to the screaming demands of your flesh? Is your heart open before Christ, soft and pliable in His hands, or is it hard, cold, and indifferent?

Our text says that God gave them over to the hardness of their hearts. God will give you over to what you really desire. It is your choice. Do you really desire to know Christ and to become one with Him? Or are you so full of yourself that you can’t see past your own nose. Are you too engrossed with yourself to see the hurts and needs of others? Jesus always took time to speak to people, and to minister to their most earnest need. Are you really like that, or are you putting on a show?

If your heart is hard, and want to do things

 

YOUR way, if you have sin that you excuse as a personality disposition, or just have flat out refused to deal with it, God will give you over to it. You will get your way, you will enjoy that sin to the fullest, but while in it, you wont find that full satisfaction that you crave. In sin there is no peace.

If you lean on your own understanding and “wisdom”, your plans and strategy may succeed, but it will never be with the desired result. God will give you over to that love for the social drink, or “recreational drug habit” and you will throw away all your money, lose those whom you hold so dear, and will not only ruin your health, but ruin your eternal heritage. You’ve tolerated the casual glance at the magazine rack, and it has now developed into the lustful stare. Now you’re beginning to buy the magazines and hide them from the people that love and care about you the most. Exposure means ruin, ruin to your marriage, ruin to your family, ruin to your reputation.

You’ve allowed the little whispers about others. They were harmless, but now they’ve become more and more vicious. Your conversations get out, and friends are deeply wounded beyond words, relationships are torn apart, the church has split, all because of one little hard heart. You may enjoy sin for a season, but that season will end quickly, and you will find yourself in hell’s torment, having cheaply traded it for abundant life on this earth and eternal riches in heaven.

Is your heart hardened to the Spirit and soft towards sin, or are you hardened against sin and soft towards Christ? You must violently deal with sin, or sin will deal violently with you.

 

The Lord earnestly desires that we never become hardened. He desires to bless us and prosper us, beyond our wildest dreams. Scripture says that He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think… He desires to humiliate our enemies, and fight for us. He desires to give us honey out of the rock.

He desires to take what the enemy has meant for harm and turn it around for our good. But it’s 

 

our choice. Do we harden our hearts to God’s ways and pursue our own desires, or HIS?