Living Guilt Free

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church

We all make mistakes but living guilty wears you out and stops your progress. Guilt can keep you from your progress.

The enemy wants you to live with a dark cloud. If someone is bringing up your mistakes thats the accuser.

When you ask for forgiveness, God forgives you and forgets.

God makes you righteous. All of our righteousness is as a filthy rag.

• For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Romans 5:17 NIV

BE BOLD

• The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1 NIV

I may not feel worthy, holy, blameless or righteous but God has made me that way.

BAGGAGE

We go through carrying things that we were never designed to carry. If the enemy can't get you off track then he will try to weigh you down.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

Hebrews 12:1 NIV

RECEIVE THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE A CHILD

Children know how to receive a gift.

There should be a convinction but once you ask for forgiveness the price has already been paid.

• WE SERVE AN ALL-KNOWING GOD BUT HE CHOOSES TO STEP OUT OF CHARACTER

"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Isaiah 43:25 NIV

• Receive God's mercy. When you're tempted to ask for forgiveness turn it into gratitude. Father thank you for your mercy in my life. 

• Stop giving yourself time in the penalty box.

A lot of times we categorize our mistakes. 

JONAH

Jonah did the total opposite of what God asked and got in a lot of trouble but God never gave up on him. 

But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, 'Salvation comes from the Lord .' "  And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah 2:9‭-‬10 NIV

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."

Jonah 3:1‭-‬2 NIV

After Jonah's mistake He repented then God put him back in the game. God doesn't do timeouts.

SAMPSON

Sampson had made a lot of mistakes but God never gave up on him. 

Then Samson prayed to the Lord , "Sovereign Lord , remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

Judges 16:28‭-‬30 NIV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

Romans 8:1 NIV

FEELINGS DON'T ALWAYS TELL US THE TRUTH

You may not feel holy, righteous, or guiltfree but you are because God says so.

DON'T ASSIST THE ENEMY, RESIST THE ENEMY

The enemy always talks to you about your past but that's when you tell him about your future!

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7 NIV

Victoria Osteen @ Lakewood Church

Remembering the good is important for our life and our family. The negative tries to weigh you down and alter your life. 

We live out of experiences so choose to remember the good. It can stifle relationships and skills. This is not what God wants.

John 16:33 NIV

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

There's a transforming power in remembering what God has done because then we can remember what He can do!

2 Peter 1:12 NIV

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.

Celebrate with festivals.

Sometimes we forget what we should remember, the joy, the victory, and the success. Then we remember the things that we should forget, the defeats, the pain, etc...

Loosen the grip of past negative experiences and put together the pieces of your God story.

Rewrite your story and rehearse it in your mind. The only reason to get out of your past is to not live in it.

If God isn't holding our past against us then why are we letting it have power over us. 

Stones of rememberance

Joshua 4:2‭-‬7 NIV

"Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."  So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord . When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

Modern Memorial Stones: cars, degrees, etc...

Sylvester Turner

Tomorrow will be a better day than today. 

Psalm 78:4 NIV

We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord , his power, and the wonders he has done.

We should be laying down memorial stones so that my memorial stones can be stepping stones for those who come after me. 

Easter Sunday @ Lakewood Church

The God Who Overrules

Since they have more authority, the Supreme Court can overrule any decision. In the same way our God can overrule any decision.

Don't let what the lower court decided become permanent in your mind because the Judge is on your side.

My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.  For you have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.

Psalm 9:3‭-‬4 NIV

Where you are is not who you are. Where you come from doesn't have to limit where you're going. You can set a new standard.

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.  He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.  They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.  He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

2 Samuel 22:17‭-‬20 NIV

Instead of dwelling on how big your problems are dwell on how big your God is.

Truck fell on a man knocking his phone out and activating Siri. Siri asked how she could help and he said "Siri call 911". If not for that he would have been crushed to death.

There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.

Exodus 23:26 KJV

We are in a controlled environment, God and the enemy are not equal opposites.

Every adversary 

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:4 KJV

God said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Exodus 3:7‭-‬8 MSG

• Many struggles are passed down but even that can be overruled.

Joseph

• Don't get comfortable with dysfunction.

• Don't accept anything less than God's best. 

• God overrules wrong choices.

Jonah

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:   But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Luke 22:31‭-‬32 KJV

Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.

Romans 8:34 NLT

Victoria's Exhortation

Have to you ever watched a dramatic television show  for the second time?  Notice that the drama doesn't affect you the same but in the moment it does.

Mary the Mother of James and Mary Magdalene saw Jesus perform miracles with their own eyes. They saw Jesus life first hand all the way up to Jesus being put in the tomb. Afterwards they went to the grave to annoint Jesus' body but on the path they remembered the stone

Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

Mark 16:2‭-‬3 NIV

• As long as the stone was there,  they couldn't enter the tomb and complete their task.

• When they thought about their obstacle, they kept going.

•  Stones are meant to stop you and they are out of your control, but Jesus is still alive and rolling those obstacles out of the way.

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

Mark 16:4 NIV

• With every stone there is a promise to help you overcome.

Sermon notes "Undefeated"

Undefeated

Apr 16, 2017

Dr. Ed Newton

John 11:25-27


"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."

The Secretary
Floyd Mayweather Jr
The Watt

The Intent of the Message: 


What has been deemed or decreed as impossible in and around your life can become possible because of one singular supernatural event in history, the resurrection of Jesus! Therefore, today it is our desire that you would discover your comeback story in a tomb that is empty, a Savior who is living and a salvation that has been afforded by grace through Jesus. 

{The four challenges in your life that cause doubt of God's comeback story in you:}

I. "It's been too Long":


John 11:6 - "So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was."

Application:  His DELAY is not because of DISTANCE.

In Jewish culture it took 3 days for a person to be "officially dead".

II. "It's too Late":


John 11:21, 32 - Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died…" 21 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 32

Application:  His ARRIVAL is not blocked by your ANGER.

• Response to Mary: Then Jesus wept.
John 11:35 NLT

• Born once, die twice.
• Born twice, die once.

• Jesus doesn't want anyone to suffer a spiritual death.

• Death has been repurposed, it's not a deadend.

III. "It's too Limited": 


John 11:37 - But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?"

Application:  His POWER is not bound to PARTIALITY.

• If Jesus, can come back from the dead then there's nothing that He can't do.



IV. "It's too Lost": 


John 11:43-44 - When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

Application:  His VOICE is not breathed in VAIN. 

Obviously Dead-4 days (stench)—Tomb and Stone, Grave Clothes, Empty Tomb

Obviously Dead-3 days-Crucified—Tomb and Stone, Grave Clothes, Empty Tomb
Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, "Remove the stone." The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, "Master, by this time there's a stench. He's been dead four days!"
John 11:38‭-‬39 MSG

Community Group Discussion Questions


"Undefeated"    John 11:1-44     April 14-16 

Getting Started


What has been deemed or decreed as impossible in and around your life can become possible because of one singular supernatural event in history, the resurrection of Jesus! Therefore, today it is our desire that you would discover your comeback story in a tomb that is empty, a Savior who is living, and a salvation that has been afforded by grace through Jesus. 

More than likely, you have at least one relationship, job situation, health issue, or lingering fear about which you feel there will never be a good resolution.  It feels impossible to you.  Could you share one of those with us? 

If the tomb is empty, the Savior is alive, and salvation has been offered, how does this change your thinking about your impossible situation?

Going Deeper


{The four challenges in your life that cause doubt of God's comeback story in you:}

"It's been too Long":


John 11:6 - "So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was."

Application:  His DELAY is not because of DISTANCE.

When God doesn't answer our prayers or respond to our requests, we can be tempted to think He doesn't care or that He's too busy to worry about my problems.  This can lead us to doubt God's goodness. 

The reality is often just the opposite.  God doesn't delay in responding to us because He's too busy or we aren't important.  It's usually because He has an answer that is 'immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).

Share with us about a time when God didn't answer one of your prayers but gave you something even better at a later time.


"It's too Late":


John 11:21, 32 - Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died… Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

Application:  His ARRIVAL is not blocked by your ANGER.

When we have anger, fears, or regrets, we often talk ourselves out of any hope of fixing them because we say, "It's too late.  Too much water has gone under the bridge.  It's hopeless."  This story about Lazarus shows us that God often waits to do things because He has a purpose in mind that can't be accomplished by rushing. 

In this story, Jesus intentionally waited for Lazarus to die because Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.  Sometimes, God has to let something die in our lives before He can resurrect it or us to a new reality and show His glory in the process.  Someone once said, "God is seldom early, but He is never late." 

If you could set aside how long something has been 'wrong', what would you ask God to do right now to enable you step into that situation with God's power and see God do a miraculous work?

"It's too Limited": 


John 11:37 - But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?"

Application:  His POWER is not bound to PARTIALITY.

Just a few months before Lazarus died, Jesus had healed a man born blind (John 9).  The news of this miracle had spread throughout the region and many believed Jesus could do anything.  You can imagine their confusion when they hear that Jesus couldn't keep His good friend Lazarus from dying.  Jesus doesn't love some people more than others, but like any good parent, He loves each of us uniquely and perfectly. 

To His fearful disciples, He responded with truth and boldness.
To a confused Martha, He responded with a powerful statement      "I AM the Resurrection and the Life."
To a crying Mary, He responded with tears of His own
To these unbelieving observers, He responded with a miracle.

How has Jesus uniquely and perfectly demonstrated His love to you?

"It's too Lost": 


John 11:43-44 - When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

Application:  His VOICE is not breathed in VAIN. 

One preacher humorously said, "If Jesus had not used Lazarus' name, every single body in the cemetery would have come back from the dead.'  The words of God are powerful, calling creation into existence from nothing, and calling life back from the dead. 

The same 'new life' that Jesus gave to Lazarus is a picture of what Jesus offers each of us.  He wants us to come alive from a life deadened by sin, to remove the grave clothes, and to be turned loose to live life to the fullest. 

Have you made the decision to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior? 
He gave His life for you, so He could give His life to you. 


In Jewish culture a folded napkin meant that you enjoyed your time and were coming again.

Group Prayer Requests


Pray for those who heard about the Undefeated Jesus this weekend that they may take the next step toward believing in and following Him.

Sermon notes "Counting Sheep"

Counting Sheep

Apr 9, 2017

Dr. Ed Newton

John 10:11-28 ESV


11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."

19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, "He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?" 21 Others said, "These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

I and the Father Are One
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Background: 


The language of sheep and the shepherd is used by the Apostle John over 30 times in his writings to the early church. The word "sheep" is referenced over 300 times in Scripture, all the while depicting a guiding relationship between God and his people, leading us to know our worth and value. 
I. The Contrast between Shepherds: "I Am the GOOD Shepherd" (vs. 11)


Two words used for "good" in the New Testament: 
• Agathos - the moral quality of the subject or thing.
• Kalos - the value, truth, and beauty, in character and service.

Application:  He Leads versus Drives

II. The Conviction of the Shepherd: "lays down his life FOR the sheep" (vs. 11)


The Perfect Preposition: The words "For" or "huper" in the Greek language reveals the death of Jesus was:  Willingly, Sacrificially, and Triumphantly

Quote Worth Sharing: "In the Old Testament the sheep died for the Shepherd, in the New Testament the Shepherd dies for the sheep" - Warren Wiersbe

Application:  He Owns versus Uses

III. The Call of the Shepherd: "My sheep hear my voice, and I KNOW them, and they follow me" (vs. 27)


The word for "know" speaks of more than being familiar, it is being family:
• He knows your Name
• He knows your Need
• He knows your Nature

Application:  He Knows versus Ignores

IV. The Comfort of the Shepherd:  "I give them eternal life, and they will NEVER perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (vs. 28)


The assurance of eternal life is found in the two words for "give" and "snatch":
• To Grant:  To transfer possession of
• To Guard:  To protect possession of

Application:  He Seals versus Releases

Community Group Discussion Questions


"Counting Sheep"    John 10:11-15     April 8/9 

Getting Started


The language of sheep and the shepherd is used by the Apostle John over 30 times in his writings to the early church. The word "sheep" is referenced over 300 times in Scripture, all the while depicting a guiding relationship between God and his people, leading us to know our worth and value. 

Few of us live in agricultural areas or make our living by raising crops or animals.  What modern day equivalent can you think of that communicates this same idea of someone being in a guiding relationship that leads you to know your worth and value?  

Who has been that person in your life and why?

Going Deeper



The Contrast between Shepherds: "I Am the GOOD Shepherd" (v. 11)


Two words used for "good" in the New Testament: 
• Agathos - the moral quality of the subject or thing.
• Kalos - the value, truth, and beauty, in character and service.

The Bible tells us in many places that Jesus is morally 'good' but in this verse Jesus calls Himself the 'Kalos' shepherd, who shows value, truth and beauty in His character and service toward us. 

Think of the great people who have inspired you in your life.  Did they force you and drive you to do what was right, or did they inspire you and lead you to greatness?  Give us some specifics about how they were good to you.

Application:  He Leads versus Drives

The Conviction of the Shepherd: "lays down his life FOR the sheep" (v. 11)


The Perfect Preposition:  "for" or "huper" in the Greek language reveals the death of Jesus was:  Willingly, Sacrificially, and Triumphantly

Read Isaiah 53:4-12.  These words were written 600 years before Jesus was born, yet how perfectly they predict and explain why He came and why He died for us. 

"In the Old Testament the sheep died for the Shepherd, in the New Testament the Shepherd dies for the sheep" - Warren Wiersbe

As a group, come up with a list of famous movies or books that have a hero who dies on behalf of, or in place of, or to save the lives of others who desperately need to be rescued. 

How is each of these a shadow or copy of what Jesus has done for us? 

How is Jesus' sacrifice different?  (possible answer:  those heroes saved people's physical lives, but Jesus saves our souls for eternity)

Application:  He Owns versus Uses

The Call of the Shepherd: "My sheep hear my voice, and I KNOW them, and they follow me" (vs. 27)


"Know" speaks of more than being familiar; it is being family:
• He knows your Name
• He knows your Need
• He knows your Nature

Read Psalm 139:1-10.  In these verses, King David shows that he understands the totality of how well God knows him. 
What does it mean to you to know that God knows you completely and is always present with you and wants you to follow Him? 

Is there any reason you would not want to trust your life to Him?

Application:  He Knows versus Ignores

The Comfort of the Shepherd:  "I give them eternal life, and they will NEVER perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (vs. 28)


Assurance of eternal life is found in the words for "give" and "snatch":
• To Grant:  To transfer possession of
• To Guard:  To protect possession of

Read John 17:1-3 and 1 John 2:25, 5:11-13.  These verses show us that Jesus has transferred possession of eternal life to us and that He will protect that possession for us.  Looking closely at 5:12-13, what do you see as the requirement for possessing eternal life? 

(possible answer: we have to 'have' the Son (Jesus) and believe in His name (His character and claims).  Jesus was who He said He was (God's sinless Son, and did what He said He would do (died on the cross to pay for our sins, and then rose from the dead). 

Have each of you made that decision?   

Leader, if someone wants to pray to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, you can lead them in that prayer.  If you feel they need a more thorough understanding of the gospel, I encourage you to go to this website and walk through it with them.

http://www.evantell.org/gospel-presentation/

Application:  He Seals versus Releases


Group Prayer Requests


Pray for those you want to invite for one of our 6 Easter services:  Friday at 7:00, Saturday at 5:00 & 7:00, Sunday at 9:00, 11:00, & 1:00

If Pots Could Talk

Nick Nilson @ Lakewood Church

Isaiah 64:8-12

Still, God, you are our Father.    We’re the clay and you’re our potter:    All of us are what you made us.Don’t be too angry with us, O God.    Don’t keep a permanent account of wrongdoing.    Keep in mind, please, we are your people—all of us.Your holy cities are all ghost towns:    Zion’s a ghost town,    Jerusalem’s a field of weeds.Our holy and beautiful Temple,    which our ancestors filled with your praises,Was burned down by fire,    all our lovely parks and gardens in ruins.In the face of all this,    are you going to sit there unmoved, God?Aren’t you going to say something?    Haven’t you made us miserable long enough?

1 Potters shapes us all and designs us for different purposes.
All pots start from clay, but before their condition could change, their position had to change.
We come to Jesus as we are.

Comfort is overrated. The potter presses you, molds you and wedges thing out of your life. It's not always comfortable. Sometimes you feel like you're spinning out of control. Don't fight against everything that makes you uncomfortable God may be using those things to shape you.

Drink the water. Ephesians 5:26: hat He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word. Always respond with the Word.

Comparison Kills. Don't spend your time wishing that you were like another pot. The potter made me and I'm a masterpiece just as I am.

Romans 9:21-33 Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn’t talk back to the fingers that mold it, saying, “Why did you shape me like this?” Isn’t it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers and another into a pot for cooking beans? If God needs one style of pottery especially designed to show his angry displeasure and another style carefully crafted to show his glorious goodness, isn’t that all right? Either or both happens to Jews, but it also happens to the other people.

A vase is pretty but when it's time to eat you'll hope that there's a pot for beans. Imagine a house without a garbage can.

Galatians 5:25-26 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The clay's job is to stay on the wheel.

Pastor Craig's Exhortation
God can use whatever you have in your hand.
It's not what you have in your hand but whose hand is working in your life.


Exodus 4:1-5
Moses objected, “They won’t trust me. They won’t listen to a word I say. They’re going to say, ‘God? Appear to him? Hardly!’”2 So God said, “What’s that in your hand?”“A staff.”3 “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it. It became a snake; Moses jumped back—fast!4-5 God said to Moses, “Reach out and grab it by the tail.” He reached out and grabbed it—and he was holding his staff again. “That’s so they will trust that God appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

Exodus 17:6-7
God said to Moses, “Go on out ahead of the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel. Take the staff you used to strike the Nile. And go. I’m going to be present before you there on the rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock. Water will gush out of it and the people will drink.”6-7 Moses did what he said, with the elders of Israel right there watching. He named the place Massah (Testing-Place) and Meribah (Quarreling) because of the quarreling of the Israelites and because of their testing of God when they said, “Is God here with us, or not?”