1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,220 We always have so many things to be thankful for, don't we? 2 00:00:08,220 --> 00:00:15,040 You know, even when things aren't just right, the Lord still blesses because He's so good 3 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:16,980 to us. 4 00:00:16,980 --> 00:00:29,220 This morning I got up, had to take the dog outside, and I noticed it's not raining. 5 00:00:29,220 --> 00:00:36,320 The sun was shining, and I thought, Lord, thank You so much for that, you know, because 6 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:42,520 we have had a lot of rain, but even when the things come like that, there's always a blessing 7 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:44,520 that can come from it. 8 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:51,320 And so the blessing today was for me to maybe feel a little bit like Noah did, you know, 9 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:58,160 after the flood when he opened that window and the sun was shining and there was no rain. 10 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,840 Praise the Lord for that. 11 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:07,600 This morning we're going to look at the second book of the Bible, of the Old Testament, in 12 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:09,880 Exodus this morning. 13 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:16,600 And so I would just like to invite you to take your Bible, turn with me to Exodus chapter 14 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:18,600 19. 15 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,800 Exodus chapter 19. 16 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:29,480 This is a very familiar passage here. 17 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:38,800 We, or the very next chapter is very important to Adventists because it's the Ten Commandments. 18 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:41,200 And so we're all familiar with that. 19 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:50,480 This story here that we're reading is part of a larger story, Exodus 19. 20 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:56,440 We have been reading Genesis in our morning devotion and we've been reading all about 21 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,120 Moses as he was called by God. 22 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:06,680 We've been reading about all he went through when he went to do what the Lord asked him 23 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:16,960 to do to free the Israelites and all that Pharaoh did to try to keep them from it being 24 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:17,960 freed. 25 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:22,760 But through all that the Lord kept working. 26 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:24,920 Finally they were freed. 27 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:30,480 And then we get to the rest of the story of what happened after they left and all the 28 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:32,400 things they went through. 29 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:40,720 And I can only imagine how Moses felt as he, we could use the word as he put up with the 30 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:43,820 children of Israel over the next while. 31 00:02:43,820 --> 00:02:47,000 So this is about three months after they left Egypt. 32 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,680 That's where this story begins. 33 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,080 And so I'd like to read verses one through four of Exodus 19. 34 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,000 This is the New King James Bible. 35 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:02,440 It says, In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, 36 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:06,920 on the same day they came to the wilderness of Sinai. 37 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:12,200 For they had departed from Rephidim and come to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the 38 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:13,640 wilderness. 39 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:18,040 So Israel camped there before the mountain. 40 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:23,200 And Moses went up to God and the Lord called to him from the mountain saying, Thus you 41 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:30,280 shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel, You have seen what I did 42 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:39,560 to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. 43 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:45,400 Today we want to look at this Old Testament story, this Bible story that's familiar to 44 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:46,400 us. 45 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,760 And we're going to talk about those eagles wings today. 46 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:51,560 That's our focus. 47 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:59,880 And we're going to try to see what God actually meant when he is saying, I bore you on eagles 48 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:00,880 wings. 49 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:06,440 And so as we approach this message, we're going to do it in story form, maybe a little 50 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:10,840 bit different from a normal type of sermon. 51 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:16,480 And so as I speak to you today, I want to encourage you to use your sanctified imagination. 52 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:20,560 You know, there's imagination and there's sanctified imagination. 53 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:29,320 So use that this morning and imagine with me what it might have been like for God to 54 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:35,460 have this conversation with Moses and Moses responding back to God. 55 00:04:35,460 --> 00:04:40,480 And I'd like you to think about what might have been said and what it might have been 56 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:47,840 like if you had been there and if you had been in Moses' place during this conversation, 57 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:52,160 especially knowing all they went through before they got there. 58 00:04:52,160 --> 00:05:00,040 Now a few chapters back in Exodus chapter three, we find that Moses is standing in front 59 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:09,360 of a burning bush on Mount Orab and Moses at that time had been tending sheep for 40 60 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:10,360 years. 61 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,800 He had been banished or ran away from Egypt. 62 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:21,800 He fled from Egypt because he killed an Egyptian soldier and he fled for his life. 63 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,600 And God had really gotten Moses' attention. 64 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:25,600 He's out there. 65 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:27,240 He's in the desert. 66 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:32,960 He's out there tending sheep and all of a sudden he sees this bush on fire, a burning 67 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:34,800 bush. 68 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:42,280 And he looked around and he couldn't understand how this happened, but he began to get a little 69 00:05:42,280 --> 00:05:43,280 closer. 70 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:45,280 God says, take off your shoes. 71 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:47,900 It's a holy ground. 72 00:05:47,900 --> 00:05:55,520 And so then he had this amazing conversation taking place between God and Moses. 73 00:05:55,520 --> 00:06:02,800 And God says to Moses, he says, Moses, I want you to go down to Egypt. 74 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:09,280 My people are in slavery there and I want you to take a message to the people. 75 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:14,740 Tell them that God is going to deliver them. 76 00:06:14,740 --> 00:06:20,580 Then I want you to go to Pharaoh and I want you to give him a message as well. 77 00:06:20,580 --> 00:06:28,520 And what I want you to say to him is let my people go, let my people go. 78 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:32,840 And Moses, you know, he's standing there and he's, you know, he hadn't been to Egypt in 79 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:34,580 40 years. 80 00:06:34,580 --> 00:06:41,400 So he's standing there and he's thinking about it and he says, well, okay, God. 81 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:46,880 Then he thought about it a little more and he said to God, Lord, are you sure you want 82 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:48,640 me to go? 83 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:56,960 He says, I'm on the FBI 10 most wanted list in Egypt, Lord says, Pharaoh is not going 84 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:00,320 to be happy to see me coming. 85 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:03,640 Are you sure, Lord? 86 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:10,680 Moses, you know, this is the beginning of an argument, you know, an excuse, you know, 87 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:12,840 Moses making a lot of excuses. 88 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:19,240 If you read this chapter, Moses continues to argue with God and then he says, well, 89 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:24,080 Lord, I'm not really that good at talking to people. 90 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:26,240 You know, I'm not really that good at talking to people. 91 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:31,880 My speech is kind of slow and I think you may have picked the wrong guy. 92 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:39,280 And he went on and he makes another excuse, Lord, who am I that you would send me to Egypt? 93 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:46,040 Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? 94 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:51,720 But God reassures Moses, reassures them in chapter three, verse 12. 95 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:53,600 This is what he says. 96 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,640 He said, go, go, go Moses. 97 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:04,720 I will certainly be with you and this will be a sign or a promise. 98 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:11,480 When you bring the people out of Egypt, you will serve the Lord on this very mountain. 99 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:12,480 Trust me, Moses. 100 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:15,560 So he's saying there, I want you to go down there. 101 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:21,120 I want to give a message and then you're going to come out and three months later, you're 102 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:27,720 going to be standing right here where you are and we're going to have another conversation. 103 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:34,560 Now if you will hit that fast forward button, go to Exodus 19, where we read from earlier. 104 00:08:34,560 --> 00:08:36,200 Here stands Moses again. 105 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:41,560 He's standing on that same mountain and the Lord has fulfilled the promise. 106 00:08:41,560 --> 00:08:48,720 And Moses stands there on Mount Orab and he's talking to God and God says to Moses, see 107 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,360 Moses, I told you so. 108 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:53,360 I told you so. 109 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:57,920 You go down to the valley and I want you to tell the people that I have delivered on my 110 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:03,960 promise and I have delivered that promise at the burning bush that's right here at this 111 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:09,240 mountain and I want you to tell them how I brought it to pass. 112 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:15,040 I want you to go down and I want you to tell the people that I bore you on eagles wings 113 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:19,080 and I brought you to myself. 114 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,840 Moses says, yes Lord, I recognize. 115 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,880 I know we're here. 116 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:32,200 Just like you said, but you're saying I bore you on eagles wings. 117 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:33,880 That's a bit much, Lord. 118 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,480 You bore me on eagles wings. 119 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:39,660 This has not been an easy three months. 120 00:09:39,660 --> 00:09:42,480 This has been a rough time coming out of here. 121 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:49,360 Three months out of here in this desert and you're saying you bore me on eagles wings. 122 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:53,180 You see Moses remembered about the eagles. 123 00:09:53,180 --> 00:09:58,800 He had 40 years of time to watch the eagles fly around the mountain. 124 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:06,880 And he had seen that eagles, he's all he's attending the sheep and watching the eagles 125 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:12,000 and the eagle was such a powerful bird. 126 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,920 The eagle was graceful. 127 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:22,040 The eagle just seemed to float like a feather in the air and the eagle never got flustered. 128 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:26,480 The eagle never was afraid. 129 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:32,320 The storm, if a storm came up in the desert, as it often did, Moses would watch all the 130 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:41,480 other animals as they would run and flutter, fly away, hide, but not the eagle. 131 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:43,480 Not the eagle. 132 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:50,160 The eagle seemed so unconcerned, so relaxed, the storm didn't bother him at all. 133 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:57,880 Moses watched that eagle fly right into the eye of a storm and it would disappear. 134 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:02,800 And Moses keep watching and all of a sudden that eagle would reappear above the storm 135 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:10,680 clouds and it would float through the air as though nothing was happening. 136 00:11:10,680 --> 00:11:14,680 And so God said to Moses, I delivered you. 137 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:19,400 I bore you up on eagles wings. 138 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:23,280 Moses says, wait a minute, Lord, wait a minute. 139 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:29,920 Yes, we're here, but isn't it stretching it a bit to say you bore us on eagles wings? 140 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:32,200 Because that eagle is graceful. 141 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:37,760 That eagle is trouble free, but Lord, it didn't happen that way for us. 142 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,760 Didn't happen that way. 143 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,860 Do you remember the Red Sea, Lord? 144 00:11:43,860 --> 00:11:44,860 We were there. 145 00:11:44,860 --> 00:11:46,320 The sea was in front of us. 146 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:49,320 Pharaoh and his army were behind us. 147 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:53,080 Everybody was scared to death. 148 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,400 And Lord, your people were crying out. 149 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:00,320 They were crying out and they were without faith. 150 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:04,800 They were sure they were going to die. 151 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:14,700 Remember later on when we ran out of water, Lord, the people did what they always did. 152 00:12:14,700 --> 00:12:20,760 They griped and complained and they came to me and griped and complained and they said, 153 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:24,400 it's my fault that we don't have water. 154 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:31,360 They wanted to go back to Egypt and then later on we ran out of food and water. 155 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:35,160 And the people threatened to stone me that time. 156 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:38,720 And they said they wanted a new leader. 157 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:46,840 And Moses says, Lord, are you telling me that through all that you bore me on eagles wings? 158 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:51,800 Lord, where were you when I needed you? 159 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:57,480 You know, perhaps some of you here can relate to how Moses was feeling. 160 00:12:57,480 --> 00:12:59,160 I know I can. 161 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:04,120 I felt that way sometimes. 162 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:09,840 I can remember times in my life when it looked like everything's falling apart. 163 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:14,040 I can remember when depression came. 164 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:20,320 I can remember when it looked like everything that could go wrong did go wrong. 165 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:23,880 I can remember crying out and saying, God, where are you? 166 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:25,480 God, where are you? 167 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:28,480 I need you now. 168 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:32,880 And I know some of you felt that way too. 169 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:37,120 Maybe it's when you couldn't pay the bills. 170 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:43,400 Maybe it was when your child was sick and you didn't know what to do for that child. 171 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:50,040 When you had a problem with your in-laws, your outlaws, and maybe your spouse wasn't 172 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:52,560 listening to you. 173 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:58,200 When you had that problem that was so delicate that you could not tell another soul about 174 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:05,680 it, and you cried out to the Lord and said, God, where are you? 175 00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:08,000 Where are you? 176 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:09,000 Think about that. 177 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:18,520 If you think about it, are we really that much different than Moses and the Israelites? 178 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:28,080 But God said to Moses, he said, I bore you on eagle's wings. 179 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:32,960 You know, now it's God's turn to ask the questions. 180 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:41,120 And so God said to Moses, Moses, do you remember what happened at the Red Sea? 181 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:44,880 Didn't I deliver you from Pharaoh at that time? 182 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:50,920 Didn't I break open the whole sea, part the sea so you could walk out? 183 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:58,760 So did any of God's children die in the Red Sea? 184 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:05,360 When you got to the other side, nobody even had mud on their feet, did they, Moses? 185 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:10,840 And by the way, he said, do you remember when you ran out of water, Moses? 186 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:15,440 You found this bitter pool of water that nobody could drink. 187 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:21,560 And I told you to throw a tree in the water, and you threw the tree in the water, and didn't 188 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:23,560 the water turn sweet? 189 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:28,160 Moses, didn't it taste good? 190 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,960 Then later on, you ran out of both food and water. 191 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,400 Did I leave you, Moses? 192 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:36,120 Did I leave you there? 193 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:43,240 Sure, the people wanted Big Macs and French fries and chocolate shakes, but didn't I send 194 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:44,960 angel food? 195 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:49,320 Didn't I send the manna for them to eat? 196 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:55,320 When I told you to strike the rock, didn't the water come forth, that sweet tasting water 197 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:56,800 come forth? 198 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:59,960 Moses, I was there. 199 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:02,720 I bore you on eagles wings. 200 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:06,240 Moses says, I know. 201 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:11,160 I guess I just don't understand about this bearing up of eagles wings. 202 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:16,560 It didn't really make sense to me, because eagles don't have problems. 203 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:19,200 Eagles are special. 204 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:23,440 Life is easy for them, and the eagle is graceful, powerful. 205 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:26,520 He's always in control. 206 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:32,800 But for me, Lord, this whole trip, this life with these people has been so rough. 207 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:38,840 I don't understand the eagle's wings. 208 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:43,120 God said, I know, Moses, but you've got to understand the Israelites. 209 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,960 You've got to understand these people that you brought out. 210 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:49,320 He says, they've been in Egypt for a long time. 211 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:55,360 They've been there for 400 years enduring slavery. 212 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:57,720 They've been serving idols. 213 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:03,880 They've forgotten God over time, and they've lost their real belief, and they've been in 214 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:11,160 paganism and heathenism and harsh conditions. 215 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:15,440 You see, Moses, I have to help them. 216 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:21,080 Before I can take them into this promised land we're talking about, I've got to smooth 217 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:23,160 the edges up on these people. 218 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:31,840 I've got to help them to be ready to get to the promised land. 219 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:33,480 He said, I've got to prepare them. 220 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:40,840 So Moses, I've allowed a few things to happen to try to teach them to trust me so that they 221 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:46,160 will have confidence and so they'll be willing to follow me all the way into the promised 222 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:47,160 land. 223 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:55,200 Moses is just kind of sick his head and he says, Lord, but did it have to be so rough? 224 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:58,000 Did it have to be so rough? 225 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:03,240 Couldn't it have just been a little bit easier? 226 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:08,800 God says to Moses, he says, Moses, let me tell you about the eagle. 227 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,760 Let me tell you about the eagle. 228 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:17,320 He told Moses, he says, I want you to remember these words. 229 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:22,520 Moses would later record these words in Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 11. 230 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:24,360 I'll read that to you. 231 00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:33,160 It says, as an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young and spreading out its wings 232 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:39,680 taking them up, carrying them on eagle's wings, carrying them on its wings. 233 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:45,760 So Moses wrote that and he was remembering this conversation that he had with God when 234 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,000 he wrote it. 235 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:54,440 And God says, Moses, let me tell you about the eagle. 236 00:18:54,440 --> 00:19:02,120 He said, you see this mama eagle, when she makes her nest way up on the mountaintop, 237 00:19:02,120 --> 00:19:08,400 first thing she does is go way down into the valley and she plucks up all the thistles 238 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:17,080 and briars and thorns and rough material and she makes the outer part of the nest. 239 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:23,120 Says then on the inside to cover up all those thorns and thistles, the eagle rises up, plucks 240 00:19:23,120 --> 00:19:29,580 the down from the underside of her body, this nice soft down and she pads the nest with 241 00:19:29,580 --> 00:19:32,960 all this soft cottony down. 242 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:41,880 And it's there, the mother eagle lays her eggs and then the eaglets are born and they 243 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:47,960 hatch and the mother watches them very carefully and you know these little eaglets, they're 244 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:49,920 born with their mouths open. 245 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:53,760 Like our grandson, boy, he's born with his mouth open. 246 00:19:53,760 --> 00:20:01,080 He comes to our house and wants to eat us out of house and home. 247 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:08,880 But these little eaglets are born with their mouths open and mother and daddy eagle, they 248 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:15,200 are busy full time just going back and forth to feed these little ones. 249 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:22,000 And with her large wings at night or during the hot daytime, she shelters the babies from 250 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:32,080 the sun and the winds and the mother and daddy eagle protect those babies and nourish them 251 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:41,000 with all their possibility and they nourish them and give them everything they need. 252 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:49,520 But then there comes a day, there comes a day when somehow instinctively the mother 253 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:55,760 eagle knows it's time to get those young ones out of that nest. 254 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:57,440 Time to get them out of there. 255 00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:59,440 They got to make a way of their own. 256 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:04,920 Do you think they want to go? 257 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:05,920 No way. 258 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:10,200 You know, they have three square mils a day, they have wings over their head, they have 259 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:16,960 mom and dad eagle who love them and why would they want to leave? 260 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:22,060 But it's time, time for them to get out of the nest. 261 00:21:22,060 --> 00:21:30,400 So mama eagle just slowly begins to pluck out and drop the down from inside the nest 262 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:35,120 and she drop it over the edge and it would drift and you could just watch it drifting 263 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:39,680 all the way down to the bottom of that mountain. 264 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:45,080 And then she keeps doing it and then she's picking this down out and she's picking it 265 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:51,640 out and pretty soon she's picked out all the down and it's all dropped over the side and 266 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:56,800 all of a sudden it becomes very uncomfortable in that nest. 267 00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:03,360 You know, every time the young ones move they're sitting on a thorn and they're going ow, ow 268 00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:06,680 this is not comfortable. 269 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:10,960 And they want to know, well what's going on here? 270 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:15,240 The mother eagle says it's time to fly. 271 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:16,780 Fly? 272 00:22:16,780 --> 00:22:19,680 We can't fly. 273 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:21,240 Sure you can. 274 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:22,240 Watch me. 275 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:30,880 And so the mother eagle takes off gracefully and she's soaring and flying and floating 276 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:37,360 through the air and then she comes back and sits on the edge of the nest and the little 277 00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:41,280 ones are looking at her and say, well yeah, that's very impressive. 278 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:47,600 And they were thinking, that's really nice but you know, you've got to get out of the 279 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:48,600 nest to fly. 280 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:54,880 And we weren't really sure if they were ready to get out of there. 281 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:55,880 The young ones aren't sure. 282 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,480 It's not comfortable in the nest but they're kind of caught in between. 283 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:01,600 What do we do now? 284 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:06,800 We stay in this miserable situation or do we get ready and get out of the nest and the 285 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:10,880 mother says, trust me, trust me. 286 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,800 She says to them, jump and flap your wings. 287 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:19,880 When the eagle looks at the others, did she say jump? 288 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:21,880 Did she say jump? 289 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,080 Yes, jump, trust me. 290 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:26,080 Mama's gone nuts. 291 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:29,600 She's trying to kill us. 292 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:36,080 Finally one brave little chick gets up and he peers over the edge and he can't even really 293 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:43,880 see the bottom but he swallows hard and he says, well, mama said to trust her so I guess 294 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:47,280 I've got to have a little faith and trust her. 295 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:52,840 So finally he goes over and he swallows hard and he jumps and down he goes, just like a 296 00:23:52,840 --> 00:24:00,560 rock and he's flapping those little wings and it's not happening, you know. 297 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:04,040 And he begins crying out, no, this isn't working. 298 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,040 Mama, mama, help me. 299 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:12,360 And he's going down there like a rock, flapping his wings harder and harder and just before 300 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:15,720 he hits the ground here comes mother eagle. 301 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:22,280 She swoops down underneath that chick and he lands on her wings and she carries him 302 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:25,920 back safely to the nest. 303 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:30,320 And then mama eagle says, let's try that again. 304 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,360 Let's try that again. 305 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:39,560 And the Lord turns to Moses after he's told him this and he says, you know, Moses, all 306 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:46,320 those problems that are happening in the camp and on this journey, he says, Moses, I'm just 307 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:49,000 pulling the down out of the nest. 308 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,960 I'm just pulling the down out. 309 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,920 You know, that happens to us. 310 00:24:55,920 --> 00:25:05,480 We look at the situations we find ourselves in, problems, illnesses, discouragements, 311 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:09,040 discontentments, distresses. 312 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:10,840 We see issues in the church. 313 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:12,680 We see issues out of the church. 314 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:18,480 We see craziness in the world in which we live in. 315 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:26,200 And you know, what's happening when that takes place is that the Lord is pulling the down 316 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,960 out of the nest. 317 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,600 We've gotten too comfortable. 318 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:34,680 Sometimes we're too comfortable just being in church. 319 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:37,840 Sometimes we're too comfortable just being Christians. 320 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:44,600 But the Lord says, you know, it's time to get ready for heaven. 321 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:45,600 Time to get ready for heaven. 322 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:53,640 It's time to pluck out that down so that we can know what's going on in this world and 323 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:58,080 get ready for Jesus to come. 324 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:02,040 You know, we were all slaves in Egypt. 325 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:06,560 Egypt is a symbol for the world. 326 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:12,800 We were all once slaves in Egypt and the world and the devil had its clutches on us. 327 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:16,640 We couldn't get free on our own. 328 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,240 Praise the Lord, God took us up to the mountain. 329 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,000 He took us to Mount Calvary. 330 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:28,480 And as we saw Jesus and His salvation, our sins are washed away and we're set free in 331 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:31,920 Christ. 332 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,040 Some of us thought, wow, that's great. 333 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:37,000 Now everything's going to be great. 334 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:42,520 Some of us thought that when we came to Christ, it's going to be easy streets and then on. 335 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:47,520 You know, we thought we would drink non-alcoholic champagne, eat veggie steak, live the life 336 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,720 of Bethlehem Roses. 337 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,640 But then came reality. 338 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:55,520 Reality. 339 00:26:55,520 --> 00:27:01,480 Maybe we lost our job because we needed to keep the Sabbath. 340 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:08,240 You know, maybe our spouse did not share the Christian vision that we had. 341 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,320 Maybe they weren't sure. 342 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:13,400 Maybe our finances were a mess. 343 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:18,800 Maybe the kids did not want anything to do with God. 344 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:22,000 And we find ourselves in the valley. 345 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:28,080 We find that being a Christian is not always easy. 346 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:36,080 Sometimes there can be a lot of problems happening when you're a Christian. 347 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:40,680 Remember, this is very important. 348 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:42,280 God told that to Moses. 349 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:46,400 Eagle mama told it to the kids. 350 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:51,080 Remember when everything falls apart, when you feel rejected, despised, God has promised, 351 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:53,640 I will be with you. 352 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:55,760 I will be with you. 353 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:58,440 You don't have to worry. 354 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:03,680 And it may be that God's just plucking the down out of the nest for us so that we're 355 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:05,480 not too comfortable. 356 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:09,760 Friends, this world is not our home. 357 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:14,000 Sometimes we think, well, we're going to just camp out here and have a glorious life. 358 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,560 We forget that this is not where we belong. 359 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:20,980 This is a temporary place. 360 00:28:20,980 --> 00:28:27,040 The Lord wants us to move on toward the kingdom, not to be too comfortable here. 361 00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:33,440 And when things get hard, when times get rough, remember the Lord has something much better 362 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:38,920 in store for you than this world. 363 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:43,080 You know, if this world was all we had to look forward to, we'd be pretty miserable. 364 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:49,760 Paul said something like that one time. 365 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:59,040 In James chapter one, we're told, and this has been a tough verse for me, but studying 366 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:03,080 this story here is kind of, maybe think about that. 367 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:12,320 James chapter one, we're told to count it all joy when we fall into various trials. 368 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:15,960 Count it all joy when you fall into various trials. 369 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,800 That's tough. 370 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:21,760 That's tough. 371 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:27,240 But 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13, thankful for this verse, it says, God will make a way of 372 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:29,380 escape. 373 00:29:29,380 --> 00:29:31,080 God will make a way of escape. 374 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,440 He won't give us more than we can handle. 375 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:41,200 We may not think we can handle it, but he won't give us more than we can handle. 376 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:45,320 And friends, we have to remember that the devil can roar like a lion. 377 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:50,920 If you ever heard a lion roar, it's a huge thing to hear. 378 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:54,080 It rattles everything. 379 00:29:54,080 --> 00:30:00,000 And the devil may roar like a lion, but we have a God who's the lion tamer. 380 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:03,960 Daniel found that out. 381 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:14,040 Today the Lord says to us, trust me, trust me, believe in me, have faith in me. 382 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:16,840 I will be with you. 383 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:19,680 I will bear you up on eagle's wings. 384 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:22,120 And the Lord still says that today. 385 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,480 That's the message for this church today. 386 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:30,760 I will bear you up on eagle's wings. 387 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:36,680 And you know, friends, if we're going to fly, we have to trust the Lord first. 388 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:40,920 You won't ever jump out of the nest if you don't trust the Lord. 389 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:41,920 We're weak. 390 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:45,600 Yes, he's strong. 391 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:51,440 When the burden gets heavy and you feel like you're falling, trust in the Lord. 392 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:55,000 He'll carry you through. 393 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,680 Now we all have times of doubt. 394 00:30:57,680 --> 00:30:59,720 Yes, we do. 395 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:00,720 We all do. 396 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,440 We have to work through those things sometimes. 397 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:09,040 We have to come to understanding and get our heads on straight so that we can trust in 398 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:13,280 the Lord when those times of doubt come. 399 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:17,180 Believe me, I understand that I've been there. 400 00:31:17,180 --> 00:31:20,320 And sometimes it seems impossible to trust Jesus. 401 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:22,520 And I've heard people tell me that. 402 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:23,520 It's impossible. 403 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:25,000 I can't trust Jesus. 404 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:27,960 But you know what? 405 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:33,400 The most important time to trust Jesus is when it seems impossible. 406 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:37,560 It's the most important time. 407 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:42,080 When you can't see the future, take his hand. 408 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:44,920 That's faith. 409 00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:49,400 When you need help, turn to the word of God. 410 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,920 You'll find the promise. 411 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:57,520 Jesus has carried you and he has carried your burdens. 412 00:31:57,520 --> 00:31:59,720 He has borne you on eagles wings. 413 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:05,840 That's why we're told that we should go back and remember how he's helped us in the past 414 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:10,960 because that will help us get through the future. 415 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:19,000 If you trust him, he will continue to carry you all the way through this life and into 416 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:20,000 the kingdom. 417 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,160 Do you want to thank him for that today? 418 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:25,760 Do you want to thank him for that? 419 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:33,720 Do you want to praise him for his goodness to us, for bearing you up on eagles wings? 420 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:38,000 If you're a Christian and you're sitting here this morning, I promise you God has borne 421 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:39,440 you up on eagles wings. 422 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:46,560 And I promise you he will continue to do so if you'll trust him. 423 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:51,360 So today, if you'd like to thank him for what he's done for you, if you'd like to praise 424 00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:57,440 and thank him for what he's going to do for you, I invite you to just stand right where 425 00:32:57,440 --> 00:32:58,440 you are. 426 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:00,920 Could you stand with me this morning? 427 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:04,720 Just stand with me this morning. 428 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:12,960 If you're unable to stand, just raise your hand. 429 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:19,160 Today if you're raising your hand or standing this morning, you are saying to the Lord, 430 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:22,320 I desire to trust you, Lord. 431 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:25,200 I desire to trust you with my whole heart. 432 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:30,480 I desire to trust you with everything in my life. 433 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:33,920 If that's your desire today, will you raise your hand? 434 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:34,920 Amen. 435 00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:39,240 I'm going to ask you to do one more thing. 436 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:45,320 This morning, if this is your desire and you want to trust Jesus, I want you to say something 437 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:47,760 with me this morning. 438 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:53,480 If you could say this together with me, say, thank you Lord for bearing me on eagles wings. 439 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:56,080 Could you say that together? 440 00:33:56,080 --> 00:34:02,040 Thank you Lord for bearing me on eagles wings. 441 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:09,960 Thank you Lord for bearing me on eagles wings. 442 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:17,640 I'm thankful today and there's something else that we can be thankful for and that 443 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:33,080 trusting in Jesus is the sweetest thing that can happen for us.