It's Time For The Test
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
Sermon text: Exodus 15:22-17:7
God tests us in order to teach us to trust Him
"Our complaints really are never caused by our outward circumstances. Instead they reveal the inward condition of our hearts. The Scripture says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). Our joy in the Lord should not be circumstantial but fundamental.”
—Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory
“I have learned that in every circumstance that comes my way, I can choose to respond in one of two ways: I can whine or I can worship! And I can't worship without giving thanks. It just isn't possible. When we choose the pathway of worship and giving thanks, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances, there is a fragrance, a radiance, that issues forth out of our lives to bless the Lord and others.”
―Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Choosing Gratitude
God tests us in order to teach us to obey Him
Deuteronomy 8:2–3
[2] And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. [3] And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
John 6:31–35
[31] Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” [32] Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” [34] They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
[35] Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
God tests us in order to remind us of His presence
They failed the test by putting God to the test
Psalm 95:7b–9
[7b] Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, [9] when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
—demanded God’s provision
—denied God’s protection
—doubted God’s presence
1 Corinthians 10:1–4
[1] For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, [2] and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, [3] and all ate the same spiritual food, [4] and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
Let’s make every effort to remember what God has done for us
Discipleship Questions:
Sermon text: Exodus 15:22-17:7
God tests us in order to teach us to trust Him
"Our complaints really are never caused by our outward circumstances. Instead they reveal the inward condition of our hearts. The Scripture says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). Our joy in the Lord should not be circumstantial but fundamental.”
—Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory
“I have learned that in every circumstance that comes my way, I can choose to respond in one of two ways: I can whine or I can worship! And I can't worship without giving thanks. It just isn't possible. When we choose the pathway of worship and giving thanks, especially in the midst of difficult circumstances, there is a fragrance, a radiance, that issues forth out of our lives to bless the Lord and others.”
―Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Choosing Gratitude
God tests us in order to teach us to obey Him
Deuteronomy 8:2–3
[2] And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. [3] And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
John 6:31–35
[31] Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” [32] Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” [34] They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
[35] Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
God tests us in order to remind us of His presence
They failed the test by putting God to the test
Psalm 95:7b–9
[7b] Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, [9] when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
—demanded God’s provision
—denied God’s protection
—doubted God’s presence
1 Corinthians 10:1–4
[1] For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, [2] and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, [3] and all ate the same spiritual food, [4] and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
Let’s make every effort to remember what God has done for us
Discipleship Questions:
- How has God used a time of testing in your life to teach you to trust Him?
- How has God used a time of testing in your life to teach you to obey Him?
- How has God used a time of testing in your life to remind you of His presence?
- Why do you think we tend to be forgetful of God’s provision, protection, and presence?
- What are some things we can do in order to remember how God has worked in our lives?
- In what ways have you experienced Jesus as the bread of life?
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