Sermon Tone Analysis

Wednesday night we launch REACH!

Yes!!!!

This church is one of the most valuable things we do as a church.

REACH for us is the first touch with families in our area.

We bus in approximately 80-100 students under the age of 18.

We will feed dinner to 200 people and about 140 will be under the age of 18.

For some, this opportunity will be their only opportunity in their life to hear and understand the Gospel!

I remind you that the number one asset this church has is the children.

The children are more important than the chairs, this building, the Village, the buses or this sound equipment.

The children are the number one asset to this church!

God has designed a cool way for everyone to come and be a part of this unique way to REACH children in our area with Gospel of Jesus.

I sometimes forget where we once were.

I remember well when all the kids that attended this church fit in 3 classrooms.

I remember when one 15 passenger van ran 1 trip to pick up kids.

I remember when one trip became 2 and the 47 passenger bus we were given to us.

I remember well the time my wife made lasagne for everyone and our kitchen in our apartment looked like a disaster of lasagne had taken place in our kitchen.

I remember when the adults had to meet outside for Bible study because their was not enough room for everyone inside.

I remember the night we started to pray and I was telling the kids to take less food because we did not have enough and I was instructed to just pray for the food and so I took it serious and prayed.

I prayed for the Lord to bless the food and at the end of Amen here came a huge bucket of Fried chicken that never ran out.

I will never forget in this building when Janis Cravens suggested for the kids to be seated instead of standing up so that they could be served rather than go through a line.

Here we are getting ready to once again launch REACH.

There will be some changes but not as drastic as in years past but some changes.

This morning we fast forward for just a moment in the story of Exodus and the life of Moses.

Numbers 11

(Show Picture)

At this point, the Israelites have escaped slavery.

They have seen God do some amazing things in their lives.

They find themselves in the desert.

Notice on the screen that you can see some green areas on this map.

Look at the upper left what do you see?

Some green area.

This was Egypt and now look to the upper right and what do you see?

Some green space this was the promise land.

This area in between is the desert.

Desert is defined as...

Desert: a dry, barren area of land, especially one covered with sand, that is characteristically desolate, waterless, and without vegetation.

synonyms:wasteland, wastes, wilderness, wilds, barren land; dust bowl

Certainly here in Numbers 11 the Israelites are in a desert literally but sometimes life brings us to the desert.

Ever feel like you are in a dry, barren area of land that is desolate, waterless and without vegetation.

It feels like a wasteland a wilderness so to speak.

These deserts could be change in career, college students change in major, graduation, marriage struggles, new area of unfamiliar parenting or new life stage for your kids, new job, new school, new life in sobriety, relationship status change.

New changes to REACH

These things can make us feel as though we are in a desert of life.

So for two years they have been eating this manna and the word manna in Hebrew means what is this?

They called this Manna and the word meaning what is this.

So they have been eating this for two years.

Imagine eating the same food every meal for two years.

You would grow tired of it.

Day one breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 2 breakfast lunch and dinner and day 3 breakfast lunch and dinner.

I love this description

Reminds me of the time in Honduras when they took us on a tour of the town and took us to the famous bakery where we could all buy some Rosquitas.

Famous bakery item in Honduras.

We all loaded up.

We get back to the place and we dive in to these corn based treats and the leader says man that is my favorite part of the trip watching everyone buy those things and then find out how they taste.

He just laughed at all of us.

Complaining

Complain and the Lord provides

So the people complained and the Lord provides

The desert does not grow a lot of things but in a desert one thing that does grow is complaints.

All the while the Lord is teaching the people to trust Him.

The Lord shows these people that living water comes from Him and that He is the bread of life.

God uses the desert in their life to teach.

The Lord answers

The Lord disciplines

The Lord disciplines to bring redemption and restoration.