HOW TO RESPOND TO A TOUGH SITUATION. Numbers 11: 1-6

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1 Message for THE LORD S DAY MORNING, October 30, 2011 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister HOW TO RESPOND TO A TOUGH SITUATION Numbers 11: 1-6 Introduction ILLUSTRATION: This is the true story of a Basset hound from Tacoma, Washington. His name was TATTOO. Tattoo just wanted to go for a walk. Being a stubble-legged K-9 whose stomach and ears dragged the ground, a nice walk was about all the exercise Tattoo could handle. Tattoo never intended to go for an evening run, but when his owner accidentally closed his leash in the car door and took off driving, Poor Tattoo had no other choice. Terry Filbert a Tacoma Motorcycle Cop, noticed a passing vehicle with something that appeared to be dragging behind it. Filbert began tailing the automobile and soon realized the driver was dragging a basset hound. Filbert said, The poor dog was picking them up and putting them down as fast as his little legs could go. The officer finally got the driver to pull over, but not before poor Tattoo had tumbled a number of times on the pavement. Miraculously the dog survived with no serious injuries, but his owner admits Tattoo hasn t begged to go for a walk in quite some time Our days on earth are often marked with Picking them UP and

2 Putting them DOWN as fast as we can. Every day is filled with the ROUTINE DEMANDS OF LIFE. -A JOB to go to. -APPOINTMENTS to keep. -PHONE CALLS to make. -PEOPLE to see. -BILLS to pay. -HOUSEHOLD CHORES to complete. Most of the time we just take these daily demands in stride. But then one day we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a TOUGH SITUATION...and just like poor old TATTOO, life takes us by the throat and drags us somewhere we never intended to go. How you and I respond to the tough situations in life reveals a great deal about our FAITH. ******************************************************************* THE BACKGROUND The Children of Israel had been trudging through the Wilderness for some time now. Under Moses leadership, God was moving them ever closer to the Promised Land. To sustain them on this very difficult journey, GOD provided them with a WHITE, WAFER-LIKE SUBSTANCE called MANNA. MANNA in the Hebrew language, literally meant, what is it? which is exactly what the Israelites were asking themselves the first time they saw it covering the ground. Made of CORIANDER SEED and RESIN, this Bread From Heaven provided the Israelites with all their minimal daily requirements of Nutrients and Vitamins. Day after Day...Week after Week...Month after Month... GOD provided this daily ration of food for every Israelite Family. Prior to the beginning of EACH SABBATH, God would provide a Double-Portion of Manna...so families would not have to go out and gather it on The Sabbath Day.

3 But as we come to this ELEVENTH CHAPTER of NUMBERS... the Israelites have grown tired of eating the same thing day in and day out. The Israelites had eaten MANNA for so long, they had reached a point they didn t care if they ever saw another piece of MANNA as long as they lived. Finding themselves way out in the middle of nowhere, with only one food item on the menu, the Israelites felt trapped in a TOUGH SITUATION. As we go back to NUMBERS CHAPTER 11 now...we are going to learn TWO VERY VALUABLE LESSONS about How To Respond To A Tough Situation First of all...let s look at: I. THE WRONG WAY TO RESPOND 1. In this eleventh chapter we see TWO TYPICAL WRONG RESPONSES people have when facing a Tough Situation. *Both responses cause more harm than good. *Both responses take a tough situation and make it even worse! (A) First of all, When Faced With A Tough Situation DO NOT COMPLAIN VERSE 1 a NOW THE PEOPLE COMPLAINED ABOUT THEIR HARDSHIPS IN THE HEARING OF THE LORD... Have you ever noticed when PEOPLE complain, they always seem to have one person or one group of people they specifically want to hear the complaint? Example : Like when you re in a restaraunt and some guy or gal says, It sure would be nice if we could get some service around here. Although

4 everybody within four or five tables heard the complaint, it is obvious to everybody, the complaint was directed to the WAITRESS or WAITER servicing that table. It was very obvious who the Israelites were directing their COMPLAINT to VERSE 1 a Now the people complained about their hardships (now listen to this) IN THE HEARING OF THE LORD. (look up as if complaining to GOD...) It sure would be nice if we could get something to eat around here besides this MANNA. This is a classic case of biting the hand that feeds you. they complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord. How Did God Respond to their COMPLAINING? VERSE 1 b...and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. Now I don t about you, but if I saw fire coming down from heaven and I m in the bulls eye I think I would button my lips and stop complaining immediately! But look at VERSE 4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing... Ever hear of someone referred to as A Rabble Rouser? A rabble is an iron instrument used to scoop up or stir hot coals on a fire. So a rabble or rabble rouser is someone who stirs the pot...someone who stirs up trouble. Just when all the complaining appeared to have died down, there were a few rabble rousers who kept stirring the pot.

5 If you happen to be one of those people who loves to whine and complain every time you find yourself in a tough situation, listen up! GOD DESPISES COMPLAINING! *COMPLAINING...causes us to FOCUS ON OUR PROBLEMS rather than A SOLUTION. *COMPLAINING reveals a lack of appreciation for God and His abundant blessings. *COMPLAINING drains us emotionally, physically and spiritually! If you want to make your TOUGH SITUATION a whole lot worse than it already is, just walk around COMPLAINING about it! Well, this brings us to the SECOND WRONG RESPONSE and that is... (B) When Faced With A Tough Situation, DO NOT DESPAIR READ: Verses There is a very important lesson here and that is when you are a chronic complainer, YOU NOT ONLY MAKE YOUR OWN SITUATION WORSE, YOU MAKE SOMEONE ELSE S SITUATION WORSE. These whining, complaining, Jews made Moses life absolutely miserable! But here-in lies the problem. How did Moses respond to HIS tough situation?

6 MOSES RESPONDED WITH DESPAIR. That word despair means to lose all hope or confidence. Despair is the root word in the word DESPERATION. -One reason MOSES was in DESPAIR was because he saw THE COMPLAINING ISRAELITES as his problem, not God s. verse 11 Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? -Another reason MOSES was in DESPAIR was because he was trying to CARRY THIS HEAVY BURDEN by himself, without anyone s help...including GOD. verse 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in MY ARMS, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers. Folks if you want to take a TOUGH SITUATION and MAKE IT A WHOLE LOT WORSE...respond to your situation in DESPAIR. GIVE UP ALL HOPE.LET GO OF YOUR FAITH.LOSE YOUR CONFIDENCE.THROW IN THE TOWEL.GIVE UP. QUIT! When you and I respond to A TOUGH SITUATION in TOTAL DESPAIR...basically what we are doing is putting the weight of the whole world upon our own shoulders and my friend, the only one who ever successfully did that was JESUS CHRIST! We must realize DESPAIR is a tool of the Devil!...If SATAN can get me to DESPAIR over my situation... he can DISCOURAGE ME....If SATAN can DISCOURAGE ME...he can DEPRESS ME.

7 ...If SATAN can DEPRESS ME...he can DEFEAT ME....AND if SATAN can DEFEAT ME...he can DESTROY my confidence, my hope, my joy, my peace, and my faith. ARE you in a TOUGH SITUATION right now? How are you responding to it? Is your response to COMPLAIN about it to anybody who will listen? Is your response to DESPAIR over it and threaten to give up? Responding in either of those ways will only TAKE YOUR TOUGH SITUATION and MAKE IT MUCH, MUCH WORSE Well now that we have looked at THE WRONG WAY TO RESPOND TO A TOUGH SITUATION, let s look at... II. THE RIGHT WAY TO RESPOND VERSE 16 VERSE 17 VERSE 24 VERSE 25 THE LORD SAID TO MOSES: BRING ME SEVENTY OF ISRAEL S ELDERS WHO ARE KNOWN TO YOU AS LEADERS AND OFFICIALS AMONG THE PEOPLE. HAVE THEM COME TO THE TENT OF MEETING, THAT THEY MAY STAND THERE WITH YOU. I WILL COME DOWN AND SPEAK WITH YOU THERE, AND I WILL TAKE THE SPIRIT THAT IS ON YOU AND PUT THE SPIRIT ON THEM. THEY WILL HELP YOU CARRY THE BURDEN OF THE PEOPLE SO THAT YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO CARRY IT ALONE. SO MOSES WENT OUT AND TOLD THE PEOPLE WHAT THE LORD HAD SAID. HE BROUGHT TOGETHER SEVENTY OF THEIR ELDERS AND HAD THEM STAND AROUND THE TENT. THEN THE LORD CAME DOWN IN THE CLOUD AND SPOKE WITH HIM, AND HE TOOK THE SPIRIT THAT WAS ON HIM AND PUT THE SPIRIT ON THE SEVENTY ELDERS. WHEN THE SPIRIT RESTED ON THEM, THEY PROPHESIED, BUT THEY DID NOT DO SO AGAIN. 1. GOD ALWAYS GETS US THROUGH LIFE S TOUGH SITUATIONS WHEN WE RESPOND BY TRUSTING IN HIM COMPLETELY!

8 As God reminded the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 12:9.. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2. Because of their COMPLAINING, God could have stopped providing anything at all for the Israelites to eat, but by His Grace, God added a new food item to the menu: QUAIL. 3. Because of his DESPAIRING, God could have easily have allowed MOSES to suffer a complete nervous breakdown, but by His Grace, God came up with a new plan, and that was to place His Holy Spirit upon 70 Elders to help Moses shoulder the responsibility, rather than handling it all by himself. 4. There is a lesson here for all of us as well...and that is this: GOD always has a PLAN and a PURPOSE in every tough situation you and I face in life and He will SUPPLY everything we need if we will just TRUST Him! 5. Just remember this: Any time you find yourself in a real tough situation in life, you can NEVER, NEVER GO WRONG BY TRUSTING IN GOD. TRUSTING GOD is always THE RIGHT RESPONSE to any tough situation CONCLUSION When our granddaughter Parker was little she and I played this little where she would stand up on the footstool near the chair where I

9 was sitting. And as she stood there swaying back and forth she would say, Yeddy Pappy? I said, I m yeddy! And soon Parker would take her leap of faith into my outstretched arms. She would get down and climb back up on the footstool and again she would say, Yeddy Pappy? And I would say, I m yeddy. And again she would take her leap of faith. With child-like faith, Parker simply trusted that I would catch her and not let her fall. What a great lesson of faith there is for all of us in this little true story. GOD WANTS YOU AND ME TO TRUST HIM, NO MATTER WHAT OUR CIRCUMSTANCE MAY BE. HE WANTS US TO TRUST THAT HE S THERE FOR US AND HE WILL CATCH US. And so my QUESTION to you this morning is this, Are you yeddy? Are you yeddy to trust God with your very life? TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT.