Rest in Gods Goodness and Presence

April 26, 2015

Vol. 15, No. 17

WORSHIP
Suggested Worship Songs:
Jesus My King, Shout to the Lord, Amazing Love, Count Your Blessings

WELCOME
Puzzle Muscle. Try to solve a puzzle without looking at the model. Then try a similar puzzle with the model.
Share your observations with your Dgroup between the two sets of puzzle solving.

WORD
Exodus 17:1
Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the
command of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.
To solve a puzzle, you must see the big picture. Rest in the Presence of God
Otherwise it may take you ages to solve it.
Adversity is necessary for sanctification.
Similarly, to understand what is happening in your
Sometimes you really might not understand the
life, you also need to see the big picture. God sees
problem, but you need to trust God. Rest in His
and knows it already. When you look at things from
goodness and in His presence.
a divine perspective you will be rested.
Many Christians are not rested. They easily get
The Process of Sanctification
irritated, having no joy and peace. The key is
Exodus shows the big picture of Gods story of knowing that God is always with us. The more you
redemption and sanctification for the Israelites. know God, the more you can trust Him.
Their deliverance from slavery in Egypt was only
God wants us to personally encounter Him (Psalm
the beginning. The process of sanctification came
34:8). If you know Him, you will you seek Him, and
next as they journeyed to the Promised Land.
you will not lack any good thing (v.10). If you have
Redemption happens when we surrender our lives Gods presence with you, you will find rest (Exodus
to Jesus. Sanctification transforms us day by day 33:14).
into becoming more like Christ for the glory of God
It does not mean you will have no problems.
(1 Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 12:14).
Restedness is experiencing the presence of God in
We are all works in progress. You cannot claim to the midst of problems.
be saved but have no evidence of transformation.
There is no salvation without sanctification. Gods
Grumbling is a sin
grace will put in your heart the desire to change. If Whenever you grumble, you are ultimately
you do not have that desire, perhaps all you have is grumbling against God because you do not trust
religion and not a personal relationship with Jesus. that God is in control (Exodus 16:8).
Rest in the Goodness of God People grumble because they are not contented
with what they have and they focus on what they
When confronted with difficult situations and
do not have. Contentment is not laziness but resting
adversities, how you respond will reveal the level
in the Lord after working hard (Philippians 4:11).
of your spiritual maturity. Spiritually mature
Christians will respond like Christ. Grumbling is a serious sin that we take lightly but
we must repent of (1 Corinthians 10:8-11). We
From the wilderness, God led the Israelites to
grumble when we have problems. But adversity is
Rephidim, where there was no drinking water.
an instrument of God in transforming our
They grumbled against Moses (Exodus 17:1-3), too
character. What must change is our response to the
shortsighted to see the big picture. God had already
adversities of life. Practice responding to problems
performed miracles to bring them out of Egypt; He
like Moses by turning to the Lord (Exodus 17:4).
was capable of providing water.
WORD (contd)
After what God had already done from Egypt to
their journey in the wilderness, the Israelites still
doubted Him (Exodus 17:7). Many of us are like the
Israelites. When we encounter problems we easily
forget Gods goodness; we complain and question
God why. And worse, we sometimes turn away
from Him.
Learn from the weakness of the Israelites. When
there are problems, do not grumble; instead be
content. Remember who God is, trust Him and rest
in His goodness and His presence.
In all circumstances, God is always present in your
life. When the Israelites complained for water, God
instructed Moses to strike the rock. The water
coming from the rock in the desert was
inconceivable, but it was another display of Gods
supernatural power (Psalm 78:15-17). The rock
symbolized Gods power and dependability
(Deuteronomy 32:4). Despite all of these, the
Israelites still did not believe (Psalm 78:22).
The root cause for grumbling is unbelief, for
without faith it is impossible to please God. You will
never know what God can do until all you have is
God. And then you will know that God is more than
sufficient.
To rest in Gods goodness and presence, you must
first know Him and believe that He is and that He
rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Discussion Questions:
(Leaders: Please choose questions that are appropriate to the level of spiritual maturity of your members)
1. Wilderness Camp. According to Exodus 17:1, where did the Israelites camp as they journeyed in the
wilderness? What basic need was lacking in this place and how important was it for them?
2. Saved and Set Apart. What were the sins you used to do, but after having a personal encounter with Jesus, you
started to be delivered from, slowly but surely?
3. Respectable Sins. Are there any respectable sins that you are struggling with? How can your Dgroup help you
in practical ways for accountability?

WORKS
Repent for grumbling
Have you grumbled this week? What would be your
response if God were to send fire to consume the
people who grumble and complain, like what He
did to the Israelites who kept complaining for forty
years (Numbers 11:1)?
Confess to God what causes your grumbling, Seek
Him to empower you by His grace to know Him
more, to trust Him in everything, to have an
attitude of gratitude instead of a grumbling spirit.
Weekly Prayer Points
I. Thanksgiving
Worship God for who He is, what He has
done, and what He will do in our lives
II. Country and the World
Upright and moral governance of Public
Servants and a God-centered Philippines
Repentance and Salvation
III. Church
That CCF Members would honor and love God
and make disciples
Elders, Pastors, Leaders, and Families
Ministries and Churches worldwide
IV. CCF Facilities
New Worship and Training Center
Prayer Mountain
V. Personal Concerns
Deeper intimate relationship with God
Righteous living
Salvation of family and friends