DON’T GROW WEARY OF THE MANNA

Numbers 11:4-9  And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?  We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

• They were not Israelites, but people looking for a chance to leave Egypt.
• Possibly other slaves and rabble.
• But these people who came with Moses and Israel when they left Egypt began to influence Israel with their worldly desires and fleshly cravings.
• They listed 6 kinds of foods back in Egypt.
• 6 is the number of man.
• Man was created on the sixth day and the number of the beast is 6-6-6.
• Man-man-man.

• They grew weary of manna and got a taste for the flesh they had in Egypt.

• Even Jesus said the Kingdom of God is as follows:

Matthew 13:24-30  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Matthew 13:47-48  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

• They desire flesh.
• They desire the world.
• But we cannot allow them to influence us.
• We want the things of God.
• We hunger and thirst after righteousness.
• We long after the Lord as the hart pants after the water brooks.

• Those who want to “know Him” are those who do not follow after miracles.
• They do not serve God only when their needs become so great that they have to cry out to God for help.
• The true believer is the soul who wants to Know Christ, Himself.
• And when others get discouraged with each other and quit gathering for service, these people are so in love with Christ that these troubles others have do not stop them from serving Christ.
• Why stop gathering with His people to worship Him just because someone in that gathering may act out of line?
• We are not worshiping these people.
• We are worshiping God.

• They are not truly feasting on it, for if they were, and tasted what it is like to receive revelation, they would never lose desire for it!
• Its too wondrous!

• I am not just talking about reading it.
• I am talking about receiving insights and revelations from it.
• Having our eyes opened up to see it!

• For as much technology as man progresses in, there seems to be that much more sin.
• But whereas there is so much trash on the internet, we need to put the word of God and the truths of God out there on the net all the more!
• With all the Christians on the internet, I am shocked at how few of them get on there to fellowship around the things of God.
• It seems our youth are more interested in finding another single person on the net.
• That is dangerous, folks!
• Homosexuals have disguised themselves as girls to incite licentious discussions with young men.

They would rather talk about everything else on the net except the things of God.

Don’t lose your desire for the manna.

Jesus had the same experience as Moses did with people who lost desire for manna.

John 6:24-27  When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

• They came for carnal reasons.
• Like a mixt multitude, these people cared not for the spiritual.
• They had too much a taste for natural things.

John 6:28-29  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

• He began to swerve the conversation towards the things of God.

John 6:30-33  They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

• Jesus reminded them it was God who gave the manna, and that the true manna was Himself.

John 6:48-52  I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

John 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

• Even the Catholic Church got this mixed up along with those hearing Jesus that day.
• It is not literal flesh and blood that the bread and wine speak about, but flesh and blood in the bread and wine represent how the WORDS of Jesus are to be taken in and made part of ourselves by BELIEVING THEM and APPLYING THEM to ourselves.
• In verse 63, Jesus explained what was literal flesh contrasted to His truths in the illustration He previously used.
• Eating the literal flesh does nothing for us.
• He is speaking about the WORDS that are believed, which are spirit and life.
• The spirit of the words He preached would give them life.

John 6:66  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

If you are hungry for God He will feed you!

Isaiah 55:1-3  Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.  Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

• The food and drink is the WORDS of God.

Isaiah 55:10-11  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

• Bible studies are not their desire.
• They want the pomp and glamour and flash.
• They have no interest in wanting to Know Christ.

Numbers 11:7  And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.

• The manna looked like pearl!

Matthew 13:45 -46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

• We know that there is a link to manna.
• And Jesus is the manna.

Revelation 21:21  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

• Gates.

John 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture

• The gate.
• And since the gates were of one pearl, and Jesus is the gate, we can see that the pearl of great price is the Lord Jesus Christ for whom we sell all that we have in order to enter through Him!

• You will not be blessed by God if you do.
• If you made your mind up that you are simply not going to release hold of some things of the world if you live for the Lord, then you will simply not be blessed in your Christianity.
• As we preached this morning, God will allow life to rip you apart, for He cannot bless you if you lay claim to the ways of the world and do not sell all to find Him.
• I am not talking about following a cultic mentality of hiding yourself away from everything that is well and good in this world.
• I am not here to be a dictator and tell you when and when not you can have vacations.
• I hear about that sort of thing and I cringe!
• That is cultic!
• All I am saying is that if the Word of God speaks against something, that you wish to hold on to, God will not bless your life.
• I am not a policeman who watches your every move and demands you do this or that in your private lives.
• That, too, is cultic.
• All that my job is is to speak to you the word of God, and its up to you what you are going to do with it, not me.

• My job is not to do your personal Bible studying.
• I am here to guide you through the Word.
• Not to do your studying for you.
• I hope you are taking these truths, and these scriptures and studying them at home after you hear me preach about them.
• Don’t take my word for everything.
• You see it with your own eyes and make sure for yourself that is what the Word is really teaching.
• And if it is, then keep studying it and see for yourself the treasures of the Word.
• Apply them to your lives.
• Live by them!

• “SALE”.
• The stores have a great sale and, church or not, they’re going to that sale!
• Or some trash on television like a soap opera.
• They feed on that filth every day where, in one half hour, you can see every sin imaginable.
• Quite a miracle, isn’t it?
• And then they wonder why their spiritual strength is gone.

Numbers 11:8  And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.

• Anointing oil represents the Holy Ghost.
• Lamp oil speaks of the inspired teaching and preaching.
• It has to be so, because the manna speaks of Word of God and it tasted like fresh oil.

Exodus 16:21  And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.

• Get it while its fresh!
• Get it while I am preaching it.
• Don’t say you’ll live it later on in the month or year, but not now.
• Eat it and devour it and make it part of your life now, or it will be gone.

• I told somebody that I have to get a fresh revelation every time I preach.
• I have ministered sermons that I preached in times past, but even on those occasions, I have to get that word alive and on fire again in my spirit.
• I have even preached other men’s sermons in the past.
• But they have to come alive to me, and more often than not, God will also speak more about the issue to me.
• It has to, in effect, become a genuine revelation to me before I can preach it to you.
• I cannot rant off what a book says when I preach to you.

• He was told this was the word of the Lord that was being give.
• Fresh oil. Was the WORD.
• You cannot get it any fresher than directly from an olive tree!
• Zech. 4:11,14 says that these two trees are the two anointed ones standing by the Lord of the whole earth.
• Revelation 11:3-4 refers to that scripture when speaking about two witnesses prophesying, or speaking anointed and inspired Word of God to people.
• The word given and prophesying are the same thing.
• FRESH OIL.
• Fresh from God through anointed ministers who know how to hear from God.

2 Kings 2:14-18  And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?

• But Elijah was gone, and the fresh word was coming from Elisha now.
• But these people wanted a thing of the past.
• Elijah was gone, and was a thing of the past, at this time.
• They did not realize that Elisha could help them get to where they wanted to be in God.

• The look back to a revival so many years ago, and that is all they talk about.
• They think that by going back in their minds to those olden days they will get the power they need.
• They do not see the fresh manna that God is giving right now!
• They look at the men and women of God today and think of them in their natural minds as young whipper-snappers.

• Elijah’s day was gone.
• Don’t look for a bygone era of revival.
• Look for what God is doing right now!
• Fresh oil.
• The oil from yesterday is vanished and will never be here again!
• See what God is doing NOW.
• Get in on the work of God in the here and now!
• The truth has not changed since bygone days, but the fresh oil is still going forth.
• Just find it!

• So many people just step all over it and not care about it.
• Don’t lose your desire for the manna!

2 Kings 2:17  And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

• What does the reference to “three days” speak to us about?
• The death, burial and resurrection message.

• Until you see yourself in the death, burial and resurrection, it will not put your spirit ablaze in revival.
• Get a double portion as Elisha received!
• See yourself dead with Christ.
• Don’t just look at the three days as a historical thing.
• See it applied to you and what it means to you in there here and now!

If you get too much a tasted of the world, you will find reason to want to go back to it.

Hebrews 11:13-16  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.   And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

• The key to the heroes of faith was that they put their past lives in the world out of their minds and they kept it out.
• If they had retained that thinking of where they were, they might have had opportunity ot have returned to that life.
• Like the rabble in the Exodus, who lusted after the flesh in Egypt, they wanted to go back.

• Cast down the imaginations of the former life in the world from your mind.

2 Corinthians10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;