The Manna Series: The Day the Manna Ceased

0:12 Last week I talked from the subject Nothing But Manna from, let me just rehearse because this is part two. This is part two of what I started last week, the second and final part of this two-part series. Last week we talked about the children of Israel being on a journey. They were freed from slavery, left Egypt, and they were headed to the promised land.

0:42 It would take them 40 years to get to the promised land. That's a long time, 40 years. 40 years of traveling. They were out in the wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, trying to get to the promised land. and the scripture teaches us that and we know for clarity's sake so that you all can understand for sure that as they sought to get to that promised land they were out in the middle of nowhere God provided for them God provided quail that came and they ate quail that was their meat for the day and they also had manna that was their bread their manna it was called manna their bread unfortunately during the course of those 40 years they got tired of manna now all they had to do was reach outside their tent there were no grocery stores there were no instagram or instacart or whatever it's called wasn't created by then but god supernaturally provided for them and all they had to do was reach outside their tent door and there was manna for 40 years every day, but they got tired of it.

1:50 They had manna bread, manna souffle, barbecue manna, manna cakes, manna souffle. And one day they got so frustrated, they start remembering what they used to have when they were in Egypt. They said, we remember the fish and the leeks and all the stuff they had. and I think I said this at this service last Sunday, I'd rather have crackers and be free than have steak and be a slave. But they got tired of this. They got tired of the manna. And here was their attitude. Here was their attitude. We don't have nothing but this manna. The subject last week was nothing but manna.

2:47 But my attitude is, if I was in their shoes, and what our attitude ought to be is that when God is making provisions for us, we ought to be saying we ain't got nothing but man. Somebody say I'm grateful for the provisions that God has made. We shouted last week on the fact that God opens up doors and God feeds us and God takes care of us and God gives us what we stand in need of. Somebody ought to say amen right there. God makes provisions available for us and we are thankful. We don't complain. We're not crying about it. We're not upset about it. We thank God for every door he's opened. And as a matter of fact, while I'm on that point, here's one of the points I want to make, but I just want to be clear today. We as a people have unfortunately been looking to the government to provide for us rather than the God that we serve to provide for us.

3:44 Can I get an amen right there from somebody? Amen, yes. The U.S. government is not our God. Thank you. I don't want y'all to get upset, bent out of shape. God has never stopped being God. Y'all not hear what I'm saying. Through thick and thin, he's still God. Through depression, he's still God. Through every recession, he's still God. He still makes a way for us. Somebody say amen. He's still, look at your neighbor, say he's still God. Y'all not saying it right. He's still God. Let's say it that way. He's still a way maker. He's still a burden bearer. He still feeds us. He still protects us. He still makes a way for us. We have lived through seasons when people in government were not sensitive to the plight of our culture, but God was still God even when they didn't care about us.

4:47 Even when they didn't do for us, God still took care of us. Nothing but manna. Provisions from God. But there came a day. Matter of fact, turn to Joshua chapter 5. Did I tell y'all that yet? I'm going to read verse 10, 11, and 12. Joshua chapter 5, verse 10, 11, and 12. Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal and kept the Passover on the 14th day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jordan. And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover. Unleavened bread and parched grain on the very same day. Verse 12. Then the manna ceased. On the day after they had eaten the produce of the land.

5:45 And the children of Israel no longer had manna. but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year. Here's my subject today. The day the manna ceased. Look at your neighbor's idea. It's coming the day where the manna is going to cease. My six kids have gone to school, graduated from college with no debt, thank the Lord. and there's no more manna for them come on y'all do anybody here know what I'm talking about they have graduated from school I've paid for the school I put a roof over their head I helped them do all they need to do but now the manna has ceased And there's a reason the manna has seized from their father.

6:47 Because I have invested in them. I have prepared them. I have taught them. I have been spending 21 years of their life getting them ready to take care of themselves. some of you haven't learned that yet you're still taking care of grown kids oh I feel some tension in the room did y'all hear some people everybody didn't say amen on that point right there I felt tension in the room somebody say there's tension in the room there comes a day that manna ceases and that's what happened with the children of Israel God no longer wanted them to depend on him to give them supernatural. He wanted them to learn from things he had created in the environment for them to do to take care of themselves. So this is a point.

7:46 Oh, Lord have mercy. I want to give you three points here today. I'm going to tell you what they are right off the bat. Then I'm going to walk through them. Okay, can I do that? Three points. I want to tell you why God stopped feeding the manna. Why God stopped giving the manna. Three things that are significant and important. Somebody say amen. Those three things are very significant and important. And here they are. Number one deals with methods. Somebody say methods. Number two is manifestations. Some manifestations. Number three is maturity. God's looking for some maturity. Maturity. So what are those three things again? Say them again. Manifestations. Say it again. Good. Let me start off by talking about methods. God wanted his children to learn how to care for themselves and not for him to have to do something spectacular for them every day like he had done for 40 years.

8:52 He wanted his children to understand. He wanted them to grab a hold of the fact that there are some systems. there's some things he created in nature for them to learn how to develop and use for the provisions to take care of themselves. Do you understand what I'm saying? So he gave them land. They had land. They had moved into a place that was their land, their place to live where they could grow crop and they planted crop and they nurtured that crop and they developed that crop and they harvested that crop and now they could eat from the crop that they had harvested, that the seeds they had planted and the things they had grown and what they had cultivated and what they harvested, now they had to learn how to depend about that. And I know y'all are not getting excited about that because y'all like playing the numbers. Come on, holler back at me just a moment.

9:44 Y'all want somebody to just give you money, but you got to learn to earn. That's it, Pastor. I think they're clapping on this section right here. I'm not used to this section clapping for me. But I want you to, I know that's not exciting to you. I know that's not thrilling to you. You all like to hit the number, just have money in the bank. But you got to go to work. Look at this side over here. Look at them jokers over there.

10:36 This is a very important deal as it pertains to your relationship with God. He wants you and I to understand you don't stay in the same place that you've always been. You got to learn to get to a posture of using methods and using things that you learn in nature and learn how God operates. Here's what I learned about God. I got to learn God's ways. I got to learn God's mentality. I got to learn God's truth. I got to learn God's principles of how he wants to function and operate. And the more I learn about God, the more I can operate in his kingdom and in his system. See, if you don't learn how God operates, you're going to still be trying to accomplish things by things that are no longer what God's trying to do. Are you hearing what I'm saying to you today? Yes, God wants us to learn how to function in his kingdom. We are in this world, but we are not of this world. We are here, but we got to learn how to bring the kingdom of God down into the realm of where we live and where we operate and pull God's kingdom into our world and see God move and see God take steps and see God perform.

11:46 Why? Because we are functioning in his world. Do y'all understand what I'm saying? so there's methods somebody say methods this world is full of systems that he's created for our care and our provisions based on what he did in this world that's number one here's number two is the manifestation somebody say God the manna ceased not only because God wanted him to learn new methods the banner ceased because God wanted different manifestations now this is an important point I want to say right here because it's very important because in Matthew chapter 12 verse 38 and 39 let me read this to you it says this some of the scribes and Pharisees answered saying teacher we want to see a sign from you this is what they said to Jesus for us to know that you are the Messiah we need to see a sign and the unfortunate thing is that there are many of us today who won't believe God unless we see a sign. God wants us to get to a place of maturity where we're not dependent on signs before we believe and trust that he's a way maker and a provider for us. You cannot depend on signs. Matter of fact, Jesus said on one occasion in John chapter 20, just jot down this verse, John 20 verses 26 through 29, he says, a wicked and An adulterous generation seeks a sign.

13:19 Now, some of y'all are following after signs, and if you need a sign, God is saying that's a problem. And here's what I tell people. Stop. Don't be talking to me about your horoscope. thank all five of y'all for that clap right there don't clap now because some of y'all you base who you marry on a child he's a Sagittarius and I'm a Virgo shut up you're supposed to be a child of God the only sign we're under is the sign of the cross we're not following horoscopes that's what they are horror scopes. H-O-R-O-R-O-R-Scope.

14:11 Don't be asking me what my sign is. Do y'all hear what I'm saying? Do y'all understand what I'm saying? Y'all tell me I won't do anything to you. Open up and read what the thing is for the day.

14:35 You won't connect with people based until you discover what's your sign, child? Shut up. You're supposed to be a child of God. Look at your neighbor and say, stop looking for a sign. Stop measuring and making decisions by a sign. Stop making determinations of what you're going to do, where you're going to go, who you're going to connect with based on signs. A wicked and adulterous generation pursues and looks for a sign. That's what the scripture says. Read it in John 20. That's what the scripture says. we are not looking for a sign. Go ahead, tell your neighbor again. They ain't got it. Stop searching for a sign. Tell them, stop looking for a sign. Tell them on the other side, stop looking for a sign. Tell them. if you still need God to do something spectacular for you for some of y'all unless you see something unless you see some kind of evidence or you don't see something special child somebody came in the room I don't know who it was but when I woke up they were gone please child You ate too much pizza before you went to bed that night.

15:57 Don't need no, you don't look for signs. We don't make decisions based on signs. God wants us to mature to where we know his nature, his word, his deeds, his practices. Are you hearing what I'm saying to you today? Now, and, and, and, Lord, the manna ceased because God wants them to use different methods. The man, the manna ceased because God wanted to use different manifestations. And the manna ceased because God wanted them to move to a level of maturity. 1 Corinthians 13 says, verse 11, when I was a child, I spake as a child. I thought as a child, understood as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. God wants you to learn how to function in the realm of maturity.

16:53 You should not be the same today that you were 20 years ago. You shouldn't be depending on the same methods of God communicating with you today that you did 20 years ago. When I got married, when I was dating this wonderful woman right here, when we were dating, I went to the store and bought an engagement ring because I wanted to propose to her, but I wanted to make sure she was the right one. Because you know, I hear hundreds of women chasing her. I say that all the time, but it was hoards of them coming after me. so I bought the engagement ring I put it in the glove compartment I locked the glove compartment and I prayed Lord if she's the one and when the time is right have her ask me why the glove compartment is locked. That's what I did.

18:10 that was a Saturday. On Sunday, I had to preach at a church in Washington, D.C. She wanted to go. I swung around her house, picked her up. On the way to the church, she said, I lost my glasses. I can't find them. Did I leave them in your car? She started looking around the car. Then she tried to open the glove compartment and she said, why is the glove compartment? Thank you. I thought I had decades of safety. And in the romantic setting of my car on New Hampshire Avenue, I pulled the car to the side of the road, unlocked the glove compartment, took the engagement ring out, and proposed to the woman that I've now been married to for 45 years.

19:13 That is called a fleece. That's another story. I don't have time to go and tell you about what a fleece is. But let me just tell you this. When you read about fleeces in the Bible, there's one place in the Bible that talks about a fleece. When Gideon wanted a sign from God. And he put a fleece out there. He put a piece of cloth out there and said, Lord, if you want me to do this, let the ground be wet in the morning and let the fleece be dry. Then he did it. He woke up that next morning and the ground was wet and the fleece was dry. Then the next day he did it again. Let the fleece be wet and the ground dry. Sure enough, that's what had happened. But it was birthed out of fear.

20:05 Both of those fleece situations for Gideon was done out of fear. Amen. God never wants us to operate out of fear. He does not want us to operate out of fear. So that's what I did 45, 46 years ago. I would never do that today because I've matured, I've grown, I've developed. I know more about God. I wouldn't give him a sign like that today. I don't ask God to do things and show me a sign before I do it I know the ways of God I know the word of God I have a walk with God hold up, don't get me wrong some of you might still be in the infancy days of your life in your walk with God and you might need to do a fleece but I'm saying some of y'all have been around church long enough that you shouldn't be doing fleeces anymore you should know the word of God you should know his ways are you hearing what I'm saying?

21:10 Do you understand what I'm saying? So you must mature to a place and a time where you know more about God. I know so much about God now. You can't make me doubt him. You can't make me question him. I don't need a sign. I know his word. Amen. Some of y'all, you've been around church so long and you're still struggling over whether you are going tied on the gross or the net. Come on now. and you oughta know by now. I'm trying to tell us and teach you today that God wants us to move on to a deeper level of our relationship with him. He wants to show himself to you. He wants to fight your battles.

22:03 He wants to answer your prayers. He wants to work miracles for you. But guess what? If he doesn't, it doesn't mean that he ain't God. do y'all hear what I'm saying to you somebody look at your neighbor and say he's still God he still opens up doors he still loves me he still makes a way he still protects me even if he doesn't do what I want him to do by the time I want him to do it he is still worthy of me to give him praise he's still worthy of my trust and my confidence in him. Somebody high five your neighbor and say, he's still worthy of my trust and confidence.

22:48 Tell him on the other side, I still ought to obey him. I still ought to walk with him. I still ought to depend upon him. I still ought to call upon his name. I still ought to have an expectation that he will work it out some way, somehow in due season and in due time. He's still worthy. Hallelujah. I feel a shout down in my sanctified soul.

23:17 Thomas wanted a sign from Jesus. Thomas, when Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, they came and told Thomas, Jesus rose from the dead. He's alive. Thomas said, oh, I ain't going to believe it unless I see it with my own eyes and touch him with my own hands. I will not believe. That's what Thomas said. One of the disciples, who saw Jesus do miracles, who saw all the things that he did and yet he reached a place when they said to him, he's alive, he's not dead. Yes, he was crucified, but he's alive. He said, unless I see it with my eyes, unless I touch it with my hands. And then you know what happened? I said, do you know what happened? I'm preaching better than y'all are saying amen. Jesus appeared to Thomas and the disciples behind some closed doors.

24:12 And he saw Thomas and he said, Thomas, come up here. Thrust your hands where they pierced me in my hand. Put your hand in my side where they pierced me in my side. And when he touched them, he said, my Lord and my God, I believe. But then Jesus said, Thomas, you believe because you have seen. But blessed are those who believe and have not seen. Somebody say, praise the Lord when I believe and I haven't seen. All I'm trying to tell you is to trust God even when things are not going the way you want them to go. Trust God even when your prayers may not be answered the way you want them to be answered. Trust and believe God. Know that he will work it out. You know what I discovered about God? You know what I know about God?

25:04 I'm sorry, y'all. I'm excited about this. You know what I know about God? if God doesn't work it out the way I expect him to work it out, if he doesn't do it the way I want him to do it, all it means is he's got something bigger in store for me. Can I get an amen right here from anybody? He is a way maker. He will somehow make a way. He will somehow solve it. He will somehow answer. It may not be the way I want it, but when he does it, it will be fine. I'm not looking for a sign. I'm not depending upon a sign. I'm just trusting God to work it out however he chooses to do it.

25:59 And sometimes when he does it, it won't be spectacular. it will be just through normal processes.