WEBVTT 00:00:01.040 --> 00:00:04.620 Good morning, church. Good morning to those of 00:00:04.620 --> 00:00:07.540 you on our online family today. Those of you 00:00:07.540 --> 00:00:11.259 that are also in Pauldun and Baghdad today, we 00:00:11.259 --> 00:00:13.339 are so grateful that we get to do this as a community. 00:00:13.900 --> 00:00:17.039 Welcome to those of you in the room. We're excited 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:20.179 for what God's doing today. So some of you have 00:00:20.179 --> 00:00:22.679 been like, OK, so what's really happening? Where? 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:25.679 What? When? You're going to find out by service 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:31.399 kind of what is happening. what's happening today 00:00:31.399 --> 00:00:34.479 with me being live in Prescott Valley and what 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:37.880 that looks like is that we just want them to 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:40.320 know they're one of our five gatherings, and 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:43.100 we want them to know that we love them and we 00:00:43.100 --> 00:00:45.799 see them, that they are a part of this, that 00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:48.359 they are a part of the whole, that just because 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:50.960 they're in a different space and often through 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:54.259 a different media, We're still together and we're 00:00:54.259 --> 00:00:55.759 still walking alongside each other. So that's 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:57.640 what's happening today. However you're seeing 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:00.700 this, whether it's in person, through a screen, 00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:02.740 whatever it happens to be, just know that we 00:01:02.740 --> 00:01:05.760 love you and welcome and we're glad you're here. 00:01:06.260 --> 00:01:10.420 I had a conversation this week with a gentleman 00:01:10.420 --> 00:01:14.019 who's been mentoring me for a while. And as we 00:01:14.019 --> 00:01:16.459 were having this conversation, I get to kind 00:01:16.459 --> 00:01:20.799 of ask him things. He's led for a much longer 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:24.640 time. than I have. He's much smarter than I am. 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:28.079 He understands and has been through different 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:30.079 things and all of that. And so I was just asking 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:32.840 him, how do you, we're seeing something within 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:36.060 our church that I've been around the church long 00:01:36.060 --> 00:01:39.000 enough to go, this is not normal. And what I 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:43.040 mean is we are seeing the Holy Spirit move in 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:48.640 ways that you can only attribute to the hand 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:52.680 of the Holy Spirit. From people being drawn in 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:57.319 a salvation way, like desperation way, a hunger 00:01:57.319 --> 00:02:01.620 way to, I need to meet this Jesus, right? To 00:02:01.620 --> 00:02:04.659 attendance in youth. If you were to go to our 00:02:04.659 --> 00:02:08.219 youth on a Wednesday night or Thursday night 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:12.620 in Prescott Valley, you would discover that God 00:02:12.620 --> 00:02:15.400 is up to something within our youth. There is 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:19.099 a stirring happening and it is very, very evident. 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:24.259 If you were to go to our young adults on a Tuesday 00:02:24.259 --> 00:02:27.780 night, you would understand that there is a stirring 00:02:27.780 --> 00:02:30.699 that is happening within our young adults. If 00:02:30.699 --> 00:02:33.639 you attend our services on a weekend, you can 00:02:33.639 --> 00:02:36.780 sense the Holy Spirit is moving and working. 00:02:36.919 --> 00:02:39.659 If you were to hang around and listen to some 00:02:39.659 --> 00:02:42.039 of the answered prayers, you would go, that's 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:47.120 not normal that you prayed and got answered like 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:50.479 that. Right? Like we wish it was like that all 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:52.199 the time, but for whatever reason, there is a 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:54.300 fresh pouring of the Spirit that is happening. 00:02:55.139 --> 00:02:59.159 That people are being healed. That people are 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:02.840 coming into a relationship with Jesus in ways 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:06.719 that are not common. That there's no strategies 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:09.680 being done to try and build, but the Lord is 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:11.900 building something. And so I'm sharing all this 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:14.620 with him and I go, hey Larry, how do we steward 00:03:14.620 --> 00:03:17.000 this as a family and steward it well and not... 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:19.300 Choke what the Holy Spirit's doing, but actually 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:25.659 help it to erupt and continue and usher in. And 00:03:25.659 --> 00:03:27.860 he got this smile on his face as I was talking. 00:03:28.020 --> 00:03:31.879 And I'm like, what are you laughing about? And 00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:34.400 he goes, well, I have something called the Eagle's 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:36.199 Nest. It's a bunch of pastors from around the 00:03:36.199 --> 00:03:38.419 country. And then I personally mentored like 00:03:38.419 --> 00:03:42.280 35 pastors. And they're from all over the country. 00:03:42.300 --> 00:03:45.710 And he goes, what you just said. He said, there 00:03:45.710 --> 00:03:47.669 are things that are unique to your community, 00:03:47.770 --> 00:03:55.909 but that is happening all over the country. And 00:03:55.909 --> 00:03:58.770 I think it's important to pause and recognize 00:03:58.770 --> 00:04:05.849 that God is on the move. The Holy Spirit is working 00:04:05.849 --> 00:04:11.469 in ways that across the board, people are going, 00:04:11.569 --> 00:04:16.439 God is up to something. In our midst. And we 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:21.319 need to not miss that. I understand that this, 00:04:21.819 --> 00:04:24.699 actually for our community, it's been two weeks. 00:04:26.459 --> 00:04:31.860 We've had tragedy. 32 -year -old Cameron Mangarelli 00:04:31.860 --> 00:04:34.740 passed away in an accident. If you're connected 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:38.259 to the Mangarelli family, extremely, extremely 00:04:38.259 --> 00:04:42.829 difficult. Leaves behind a young family. was 00:04:42.829 --> 00:04:46.829 a man that loved the Lord. And that was in our 00:04:46.829 --> 00:04:51.269 community roughly two weeks ago. And then you 00:04:51.269 --> 00:04:53.449 have the events of this week with Charlie Kirk, 00:04:53.730 --> 00:05:00.029 another young man who loves Jesus and has had 00:05:00.029 --> 00:05:07.110 an amazing platform to be used. And an assassination, 00:05:07.569 --> 00:05:13.509 right? that was murdered in a public space, that 00:05:13.509 --> 00:05:17.829 does something to you. That stirs something. 00:05:17.990 --> 00:05:20.870 We should just be really clear, murder is evil. 00:05:21.230 --> 00:05:23.629 Okay, let's just put it where it belongs. It's 00:05:23.629 --> 00:05:26.730 the opposite of what God wants. And so we can 00:05:26.730 --> 00:05:28.870 stand pretty strongly and go, murder is evil. 00:05:29.649 --> 00:05:33.209 To see then a fellow believer murdered in a public 00:05:33.209 --> 00:05:39.000 square in such a way. It brings with it emotions. 00:05:39.300 --> 00:05:41.680 It brings with it, and we've got to be careful 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:45.399 that we let God lead and our faith lead and not 00:05:45.399 --> 00:05:51.199 our emotions lead. That you follow what's happened 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:54.240 over the last week's Colorado shootings in schools. 00:05:55.240 --> 00:06:01.110 You go to a subway and a senseless killing. And 00:06:01.110 --> 00:06:04.769 you don't have to go very far to begin to become 00:06:04.769 --> 00:06:10.050 unsettled, to begin to become distracted, if 00:06:10.050 --> 00:06:13.449 you like. I want to, if you'll let me, I want 00:06:13.449 --> 00:06:16.250 to walk through something because I think it's 00:06:16.250 --> 00:06:18.389 important to catch when the Holy Spirit is moving 00:06:18.389 --> 00:06:24.490 in our midst, to catch that. And last week, it 00:06:24.490 --> 00:06:26.490 could not have been clearer that God had changed 00:06:26.490 --> 00:06:29.870 my message leading into the weekend. And I want 00:06:29.870 --> 00:06:31.290 to just put up on screen, if we could just put 00:06:31.290 --> 00:06:36.310 up real quick, the list. So this was walking 00:06:36.310 --> 00:06:38.730 through the story of Exodus. This is what we 00:06:38.730 --> 00:06:44.329 declare God is from what we saw. That he is our 00:06:44.329 --> 00:06:48.170 lifeblood. That he is the holder of our very 00:06:48.170 --> 00:06:50.449 breath of life. That he gave the breath of life. 00:06:50.569 --> 00:06:53.269 That he is the creator of humans. That he is 00:06:53.269 --> 00:06:58.379 in control of this life and the afterlife. That 00:06:58.379 --> 00:07:03.120 he is our economic provision. That he's our healing 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:05.060 and protection. That he's in control of nature. 00:07:05.139 --> 00:07:07.920 He's our food source. That he controls the light 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:13.100 and the darkness. That he controls both. That 00:07:13.100 --> 00:07:16.259 we have been rescued might not be the right word. 00:07:16.300 --> 00:07:18.399 I heard a better way to say that what he was 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:21.360 doing with the people in Exodus is he was leading 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:24.379 a deliverance and that deliverance came by knockout. 00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:28.720 Why is this important? Because moments when, 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:31.240 like we've been through in the last week, it 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:34.459 can be really easy to become shaken. It can become 00:07:34.459 --> 00:07:37.579 really easy for emotions to overwhelm. But that 00:07:37.579 --> 00:07:39.899 God that we talked about last week that we saw 00:07:39.899 --> 00:07:42.879 in Exodus, the reason he wanted us to know him 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:46.339 is for moments like this. That you would know 00:07:46.339 --> 00:07:49.160 that in the midst of someone's life being taken, 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:53.800 Jesus was his lifeblood. And that changes all 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:58.810 of eternity. for Charlie. Yes, while the appropriate 00:07:58.810 --> 00:08:03.870 response is grief, we can also celebrate because 00:08:03.870 --> 00:08:08.250 we know the God who saves. When you look at this 00:08:08.250 --> 00:08:10.949 and you go, okay, the idea of the very breath 00:08:10.949 --> 00:08:13.250 of life that only God can give it and only God 00:08:13.250 --> 00:08:15.430 can take it, these are moments where you have 00:08:15.430 --> 00:08:19.199 to choose to believe that. Or else you walk away 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:21.759 going, somebody with a gun actually has control. 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:24.079 He doesn't have control. Why? Because my God 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:28.699 controls life and afterlife. That's who he is. 00:08:32.919 --> 00:08:36.980 And don't miss what God is doing. God has already 00:08:36.980 --> 00:08:42.200 prepared us for this moment. Because he's given 00:08:42.200 --> 00:08:45.700 us such a clear picture of who he is. That he 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:53.360 controls the light. and the darkness. And so 00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:57.460 I recognize you guys, like I get it. My emotions 00:08:57.460 --> 00:09:02.259 have been all over the place this week. I probably 00:09:02.259 --> 00:09:05.340 had the full spectrum of the range, whatever 00:09:05.340 --> 00:09:10.340 that is. And yet I know for you, you walk in 00:09:10.340 --> 00:09:15.799 here and you may be grieving. This may be connected 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:18.399 to you in ways that you just need to grieve, 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:23.240 and I just need you to know that's okay. That 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:32.059 you may be hurt, and that's okay. That you may 00:09:32.059 --> 00:09:37.120 feel some sense of anger, some sense of fear, 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:43.519 some sense of lack of control. Some sense of 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:49.299 spinning. And I just want to encourage you that 00:09:49.299 --> 00:09:50.759 what we're going to do is we're going to take 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:54.899 it to God in prayer. One of the things that we've 00:09:54.899 --> 00:09:57.500 been kind of moving in over the last months is 00:09:57.500 --> 00:10:00.820 that when we gather like this, this is not about 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:03.940 some show. This is not about something to critique. 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:07.539 The hope of this is that you actually interact 00:10:07.539 --> 00:10:15.679 with God for yourself. That if you attend one 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:17.759 of our gatherings in any location, that what 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:19.840 you walk away with is you get a sense of God 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:22.539 met with me today and the Holy Spirit did some 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:27.799 work. That's the hope. That your relationship 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:32.000 with Jesus is changing your life. And so here's 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:33.960 what we're going to do. We're just going to stop 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:38.440 and we're going to pray. And normally it would 00:10:38.440 --> 00:10:40.539 be whoever's up here is going to pray over you. 00:10:40.600 --> 00:10:43.580 I'm not going to pray. I'll pray to close so 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:47.279 that you know we're done and moving on. But this 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:49.860 is a moment for you to be real and honest and 00:10:49.860 --> 00:10:53.220 authentic before God. This is a moment for you 00:10:53.220 --> 00:10:59.820 to talk to God for yourself. That if your grief 00:10:59.820 --> 00:11:03.919 is over a young family, a mom, and young kiddos, 00:11:04.360 --> 00:11:07.879 and you see that and what's left behind and your 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:11.340 heart is broken, tell God that. If it's over 00:11:11.340 --> 00:11:13.919 the anger, if it's over the emotion of what was 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:18.379 lost, if it's whatever it happens to be, this 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:22.740 is your moment to sit with Almighty God. We just 00:11:22.740 --> 00:11:24.639 sang about, right? Like, this is our God. This 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:26.779 is your moment to go, God, I give this to you. 00:11:27.179 --> 00:11:29.779 I need you to work inside of this. I need you 00:11:29.779 --> 00:11:34.019 to take away whatever negative is here. I need 00:11:34.019 --> 00:11:35.879 this to not become a negative to my faith. I 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:37.799 need you to meet me in my emotions. And he will. 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:40.519 The Holy Spirit is called a comforter and an 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:44.919 advocate. He's called a guide. And so here's 00:11:44.919 --> 00:11:45.960 what we're going to do. We're just going to go 00:11:45.960 --> 00:11:47.700 silent. Now, if you're here and you go, John, 00:11:47.740 --> 00:11:49.639 I'm new to church. I came to church because of 00:11:49.639 --> 00:11:52.000 this. And you're like, I don't know how to pray. 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:54.059 I don't know. I just want to encourage you, just 00:11:54.059 --> 00:11:56.659 observe a moment of silence and see what God 00:11:56.659 --> 00:12:01.000 does. But for those of you that want to pray, 00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:04.570 these moments are yours. I'll pray to close this 00:12:04.570 --> 00:13:25.490 out. God, we are so thankful today that you are 00:13:25.490 --> 00:13:30.850 our God and we are not, that we get to rest in 00:13:30.850 --> 00:13:36.649 who you are. God, we are grateful today that 00:13:36.649 --> 00:13:39.429 you are not moved, you are not stirred. God, 00:13:39.509 --> 00:13:44.110 you are not somehow in a loss of control, but 00:13:44.110 --> 00:13:46.370 you're as sovereign today as you were yesterday. 00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:51.580 That we declared you in song to be king. You 00:13:51.580 --> 00:13:56.720 are king today and we surrender to you. God, 00:13:56.740 --> 00:14:00.559 we ask that in moments that we are going through 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:04.460 as a nation, as individuals, as a community, 00:14:04.759 --> 00:14:08.039 God, we ask that you would continue to show us 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:12.419 how you control the light and the darkness. God, 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:15.100 that you would show us that you are the God who 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:18.529 holds this life and the afterlife. then whom 00:14:18.529 --> 00:14:23.429 shall we fear? And so, God, we place all of these 00:14:23.429 --> 00:14:27.610 prayers in your hands as they have risen up to 00:14:27.610 --> 00:14:32.169 your ears, God. We are grateful that you are 00:14:32.169 --> 00:14:34.549 a God that meets us, that hears us, that walks 00:14:34.549 --> 00:14:38.210 with us in the midst of this messy, messy life. 00:14:40.090 --> 00:14:42.450 And so we say thank you. Thank you for Jesus. 00:14:43.029 --> 00:14:48.000 Thank you for delivering us from death. Thank 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:54.659 you for Jesus and the way that you save us. We 00:14:54.659 --> 00:14:57.720 are grateful people and everybody said, amen, 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:03.639 amen. I love the nature of the Holy Spirit working. 00:15:05.129 --> 00:15:07.009 Because here's what often can happen, right? 00:15:07.110 --> 00:15:09.649 Like we get into a space like this, we get into 00:15:09.649 --> 00:15:13.590 a week like this, and it can become easy to make 00:15:13.590 --> 00:15:16.570 it about an agenda. It can become easy to make 00:15:16.570 --> 00:15:21.149 it about what we want to see happen. But I actually 00:15:21.149 --> 00:15:23.470 love that God just loves it when we're honest. 00:15:24.450 --> 00:15:27.289 God just loves it when we're like, here's where 00:15:27.289 --> 00:15:32.649 I am right now today. And that's where the Holy 00:15:32.649 --> 00:15:38.090 Spirit goes to work. I love that in the story 00:15:38.090 --> 00:15:41.370 of scripture, in the story of what God has left 00:15:41.370 --> 00:15:44.750 us to know him and understand him, it's stories 00:15:44.750 --> 00:15:47.850 of real people that he walked alongside, that 00:15:47.850 --> 00:15:51.210 he journeyed alongside, and that had real problems 00:15:51.210 --> 00:15:53.950 at real times, that had real emotions, that were 00:15:53.950 --> 00:15:59.470 human like us. Have you ever been walking with 00:15:59.470 --> 00:16:02.230 God or known somebody that walks with God and 00:16:02.230 --> 00:16:06.169 in the midst of it you go, why is God leading 00:16:06.169 --> 00:16:11.210 them or me down the long road? You ever feel 00:16:11.210 --> 00:16:13.710 that? Like this way is way harder. God, why are 00:16:13.710 --> 00:16:18.819 you doing this? Where are you leading us? And 00:16:18.819 --> 00:16:23.080 again, I find it fascinating and actually have 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:26.919 a deep sense of comfort from when we go to the 00:16:26.919 --> 00:16:29.340 Bible, there are people in a similar spot. If 00:16:29.340 --> 00:16:31.500 you have been with us, you know we're in the 00:16:31.500 --> 00:16:34.539 story of Exodus, but I don't think it's by chance 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:36.980 that we're talking today about God leading people 00:16:36.980 --> 00:16:41.159 and walking them out, and specifically God goes, 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:43.480 hey, I'm doing this in a way that you might not 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:48.480 think. And so within that, Exodus chapter 12 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:54.799 and verse 31. So where we're at within the story 00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:58.159 is God has come and he's come to deliver his 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:01.000 people from oppression and slavery, right? He's 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:04.380 come to set his people free. And within that, 00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:06.839 he goes, okay, if you were here last week, there 00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:08.880 was 10 rounds where he went toe to toe with the 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:12.420 Egyptian gods. And then he knocks them all out. 00:17:12.460 --> 00:17:14.400 He gets to the last one and he goes, hey, there's 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:18.240 going to be death among the firstborn. Hey, Israel, 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:21.079 if you will trust me and you'll obey me, here's 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:23.160 what you'll do. You'll take blood of a lamb, 00:17:23.380 --> 00:17:25.500 a specific lamb, and you'll put it on your doorpost. 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:28.599 And if I see the blood on your house, I'll pass 00:17:28.599 --> 00:17:31.599 over. But any house I don't find it, the firstborn 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:34.650 is going to die. The firstborn son. And so the 00:17:34.650 --> 00:17:37.609 Egyptians, there's loud wailing. The Israelites, 00:17:37.890 --> 00:17:41.930 they recognize the rescue that's happened of 00:17:41.930 --> 00:17:46.029 their family. And so now in verse 31, you get 00:17:46.029 --> 00:17:48.390 during the night, Pharaoh summoned Moses and 00:17:48.390 --> 00:17:51.710 Aaron and said, up, leave my people, you and 00:17:51.710 --> 00:17:54.930 the Israelites, go worship the Lord as you have 00:17:54.930 --> 00:17:58.009 requested. Take your flocks and your herds as 00:17:58.009 --> 00:18:03.349 you have said and go and also bless me. The Egyptians 00:18:03.349 --> 00:18:05.509 urged the people to leave the country, for otherwise, 00:18:05.609 --> 00:18:08.690 they said, we will all die. So the people took 00:18:08.690 --> 00:18:12.069 their dough before the yeast was added and carried 00:18:12.069 --> 00:18:14.049 it on the shoulders and kneading troughs wrapped 00:18:14.049 --> 00:18:18.390 in clothing. The Israelites did as Moses instructed 00:18:18.390 --> 00:18:20.970 and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver 00:18:20.970 --> 00:18:23.900 and gold and for clothing. The Lord made the 00:18:23.900 --> 00:18:26.400 Egyptians favorably disposed towards the people 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:29.500 and gave them whatever they asked for. So they 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:32.640 plundered the Egyptians. OK, so so now Pharaoh 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:34.640 comes, he goes, hey, you got to go. But I want 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:38.200 you to catch. They were blessed by the Egyptians. 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:42.700 So God delivers them, but also blesses them by 00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:46.440 he gives them all of this silver, all of this 00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:49.700 clothing, all of this gold. And they they now 00:18:49.700 --> 00:18:53.160 whatever they ask for, they they head out. Verse 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:56.660 37, the Israelites journeyed from Ramses to Sukkoth. 00:18:56.839 --> 00:18:59.759 There were about 600 ,000 men on foot besides 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:02.519 women and children. Many other people went up 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:04.720 with them and also large droves of livestock, 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:08.240 both flocks and herds. With the dough the Israelites 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:10.640 had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:12.980 unleavened bread, the dough without yeast because 00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:15.140 they had been driven out of Egypt and did not 00:19:15.140 --> 00:19:17.779 have time to prepare food for themselves. Now, 00:19:17.819 --> 00:19:21.039 verse 40, now the length of time the Israelites... 00:19:21.289 --> 00:19:25.410 people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end 00:19:25.410 --> 00:19:30.309 of the 430 years to the very day, all the Lord's 00:19:30.309 --> 00:19:37.069 divisions left Egypt. Okay, context is important 00:19:37.069 --> 00:19:39.650 for understanding the next part of the story. 00:19:40.089 --> 00:19:44.089 So you have God come and he rescues them, he 00:19:44.089 --> 00:19:47.809 delivers them, and now they are given a whole 00:19:47.809 --> 00:19:50.829 bunch of stuff. And so you've just got this large, 00:19:50.930 --> 00:19:53.529 we don't need to get into figuring out how many 00:19:53.529 --> 00:19:55.769 and all of that this weekend. Like there's just 00:19:55.769 --> 00:20:00.049 a large gathering of people. And roughly they 00:20:00.049 --> 00:20:03.109 go to this area called Sukkoth. Now, what's important 00:20:03.109 --> 00:20:07.190 about that is they lived in Goshen. That was 00:20:07.190 --> 00:20:11.490 the territory they were in as slaves. Guess where 00:20:11.490 --> 00:20:16.609 Sukkoth is? In Goshen. So why does that matter? 00:20:16.710 --> 00:20:21.059 Because God literally, walks them to the edge 00:20:21.059 --> 00:20:23.880 of the area they've been living in the whole 00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:29.079 time. It's roughly about 35 kilometers, which 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:31.680 to give you a bearing of how far that is, it's 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:34.160 roughly from here to Cordes Junction, right? 00:20:34.259 --> 00:20:37.539 And that's how far they travel on this first 00:20:37.539 --> 00:20:40.559 leg of the journey. Now, if you were to do it 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:43.480 alone, they claim that if you walk like my wife, 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:45.759 you could do it in eight hours. If you walk like 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:49.209 me, it's going to take you a little longer. But 00:20:49.209 --> 00:20:54.589 it's a day journey, maybe. For them, with this 00:20:54.589 --> 00:20:56.509 many people, it's believed that it would at least 00:20:56.509 --> 00:20:59.069 have been two to three days traveling day and 00:20:59.069 --> 00:21:03.730 night. Now, I'm not real good at military, figuring 00:21:03.730 --> 00:21:07.309 out the best strategies and whatever, but if 00:21:07.309 --> 00:21:11.289 you have the strongest empire that has ever been 00:21:11.289 --> 00:21:14.009 known in that time with the most technologically 00:21:14.009 --> 00:21:19.079 advanced weapons at their disposal, And you are 00:21:19.079 --> 00:21:23.619 running away, running to your territory for two 00:21:23.619 --> 00:21:26.619 to three days. And let's be honest, let's just 00:21:26.619 --> 00:21:29.500 humanize this story. Normally, if you got little 00:21:29.500 --> 00:21:31.740 kids and you're on this journey, those little 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:34.059 kids ain't walking, you're carrying them. And 00:21:34.059 --> 00:21:36.420 you're also carrying all of the stuff that you 00:21:36.420 --> 00:21:38.900 got. This is not an easy journey. And wait a 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:41.740 minute, God, you let us where? To the edge of 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:44.750 our own region? That seems like real reachable 00:21:44.750 --> 00:21:49.069 distance for the army that has the most weaponry 00:21:49.069 --> 00:21:55.509 that we see. If you turn over a page, or at least 00:21:55.509 --> 00:21:58.930 I have to turn over a page, chapter 13, verse 00:21:58.930 --> 00:22:01.750 17 says this, when Pharaoh let the people go, 00:22:02.349 --> 00:22:07.269 God did not, listen to this, God did not lead 00:22:07.269 --> 00:22:10.549 them on the road through the Philistine country, 00:22:10.769 --> 00:22:16.750 though it was, Shorter. Okay. Anybody ever made 00:22:16.750 --> 00:22:19.549 any trip in your life? I hope so. Anybody ever 00:22:19.549 --> 00:22:22.990 used Maps, the map app, right? And we can argue 00:22:22.990 --> 00:22:24.910 all day, Google or Apple, which one's better 00:22:24.910 --> 00:22:27.289 and all that stuff, right? But you take out your 00:22:27.289 --> 00:22:32.289 map, and mine gives me the first option. And 00:22:32.289 --> 00:22:34.509 there's normally a little tag to it, and it says 00:22:34.509 --> 00:22:38.059 fastest. Right. And then it gives me two others. 00:22:38.180 --> 00:22:40.420 Does anybody actually look at the others? Like, 00:22:40.460 --> 00:22:43.859 is it they even exist? Right. Like you start 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:46.420 to go, OK, if I don't want to go by tolls, I 00:22:46.420 --> 00:22:48.319 can turn that off. Right. Like, just make sure 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:50.740 all of that's out. But but here's what's interesting. 00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:54.440 You look at it and nine times out of 10, if not 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:57.539 10 out of 10 for me, I am choosing the fastest. 00:22:58.219 --> 00:23:01.420 On a journey, the fastest route from here to 00:23:01.420 --> 00:23:04.839 there. Like we are just going to get this done. 00:23:04.980 --> 00:23:07.700 Minimal stops along the way. All of that good 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:09.319 stuff, right? You're like, I never want a road 00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:11.079 trip with you. You don't want a road trip with 00:23:11.079 --> 00:23:15.819 me. Let's not do it. But as people, we like to 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:20.160 go fast, right? We don't like to waste our time. 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:31.500 God leads them intentionally on the long. God 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:36.299 intentionally doesn't take them through Philistine. 00:23:37.420 --> 00:23:41.299 There was a road that was actually well groomed, 00:23:41.299 --> 00:23:44.140 well used, well traveled. It was a coastal road. 00:23:44.220 --> 00:23:45.940 Doesn't that sound nice? Like a coastal road 00:23:45.940 --> 00:23:48.460 that actually went through the heart of the Philistine 00:23:48.460 --> 00:23:51.579 country. Like that road was already there. God's 00:23:51.579 --> 00:23:54.240 taking them on a road that is minimal at best. 00:23:55.259 --> 00:24:00.329 It's long. It's more difficult. It's not the 00:24:00.329 --> 00:24:05.130 route that we would choose. And maybe just today, 00:24:05.329 --> 00:24:10.450 where we sit, it's really important to see that 00:24:10.450 --> 00:24:16.970 God chose the road. God chose the road. And the 00:24:16.970 --> 00:24:19.369 reason it's important to see is because so many 00:24:19.369 --> 00:24:22.369 times we want to be in control of the map app. 00:24:23.450 --> 00:24:28.119 And we're not. The God that we just displayed 00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:30.460 in words on a screen that we learned about through 00:24:30.460 --> 00:24:33.880 the battles of last week, that God is in control, 00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:39.460 in control of the road your life is on. You may 00:24:39.460 --> 00:24:42.220 think you have control, but don't kid yourself. 00:24:44.180 --> 00:24:46.960 God has control of the map. What you have is 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:49.779 you have a choice, just like the Israelites, 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:52.039 right? So the Israelites have been delivered. 00:24:52.119 --> 00:24:55.769 They are now free people. They've been in slavery 00:24:55.769 --> 00:24:59.690 for at least 250 years, if not 430 years, depending 00:24:59.690 --> 00:25:02.529 on how you interpret it. And they are now free 00:25:02.529 --> 00:25:05.529 people. They have choice. It would have been 00:25:05.529 --> 00:25:07.230 really easy to get the leaders of the divisions 00:25:07.230 --> 00:25:09.269 together and go, you know what? This idea of 00:25:09.269 --> 00:25:11.569 going to Sukkot, this sounds really bad. Let's 00:25:11.569 --> 00:25:15.390 go there instead. That road sounds way nicer. 00:25:16.950 --> 00:25:19.490 I mean, can you humanize within the story how 00:25:19.490 --> 00:25:21.849 many times when God is going, hey, I am leading 00:25:21.849 --> 00:25:24.190 you this way. And I'm like, actually, God, that 00:25:24.190 --> 00:25:27.750 road looks a lot nicer. Can we just not take 00:25:27.750 --> 00:25:32.970 that one? You see, but there's an important part 00:25:32.970 --> 00:25:37.529 to freedom. Freedom gives you a choice. It gives 00:25:37.529 --> 00:25:42.529 me a choice of who and what I trust. And it gives 00:25:42.529 --> 00:25:46.380 me a choice of if I'll obey. I'll be honest with 00:25:46.380 --> 00:25:48.380 you, I don't like the word obey. Never have my 00:25:48.380 --> 00:25:53.420 whole life. I've gotten aversion to it. But that's 00:25:53.420 --> 00:25:54.839 what this comes down to, right? Am I going to 00:25:54.839 --> 00:26:01.319 trust God on the road that he has me on? Am I 00:26:01.319 --> 00:26:06.700 going to choose to obey him? In Proverbs, we 00:26:06.700 --> 00:26:09.359 were in teaching prep this week and Pastor Ben 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:13.819 connected this verse. But in Proverbs 16, 9, 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:16.460 it says, in their hearts, humans plan their course, 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:21.619 but the Lord establishes their steps. In our 00:26:21.619 --> 00:26:25.140 hearts, right, we got our plans. We know which 00:26:25.140 --> 00:26:28.359 way is faster. We know which way is, but it's 00:26:28.359 --> 00:26:30.200 actually the Lord that establishes the steps. 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:32.559 Are you okay with the steps that the Lord is 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:37.660 establishing for you? Maybe in light of just 00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:39.839 the weekend that it is, are you okay with the 00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:49.289 steps? And where we are as a nation. Are we okay 00:26:49.289 --> 00:26:53.069 with that? Because we could end up really quick, 00:26:53.150 --> 00:26:56.190 you guys, fighting the wrong battle. That's one 00:26:56.190 --> 00:26:58.369 of my biggest concerns, if I'm really, really 00:26:58.369 --> 00:27:00.690 honest with you. That's one of my biggest concerns. 00:27:00.750 --> 00:27:02.670 We fight the wrong battle in this whole thing. 00:27:04.849 --> 00:27:09.210 But Ephesians tells us we don't fight flesh and 00:27:09.210 --> 00:27:13.539 blood. Right, like Ephesians tells us that as 00:27:13.539 --> 00:27:16.220 followers of Jesus, we're involved in a spiritual 00:27:16.220 --> 00:27:23.619 fight. And can we just like bring it down to 00:27:23.619 --> 00:27:26.880 our streets instead of living way out trying 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:28.519 to control everything? Can we bring it to our 00:27:28.519 --> 00:27:31.180 streets in our neighborhood? Does your neighbor, 00:27:31.299 --> 00:27:33.380 does your coworker, does the person you spend 00:27:33.380 --> 00:27:37.240 the most time with know and love Jesus? Then 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:39.319 if not, you got work to do. That's the mission 00:27:39.319 --> 00:27:45.329 we're on. Eternity is at stake. And we were left 00:27:45.329 --> 00:27:49.529 as plan A. And so we have a choice of how we 00:27:49.529 --> 00:27:51.650 step into that. That's the road that God has 00:27:51.650 --> 00:27:54.730 us on. What is my response to trust and obey 00:27:54.730 --> 00:27:58.349 what God has called us to? When he rescued me 00:27:58.349 --> 00:28:02.190 in Jesus, what has he called me to? Will I go 00:28:02.190 --> 00:28:05.509 do that? Or am I distracted by everything else 00:28:05.509 --> 00:28:09.750 around me, right? It carries on in that same 00:28:09.750 --> 00:28:13.720 verse. Chapter 13, verse 17. When Pharaoh let 00:28:13.720 --> 00:28:15.779 the people go, God did not lead them on the road 00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:18.259 through the Philistine country, though that was 00:28:18.259 --> 00:28:23.579 shorter. Listen to this. For God said, if they 00:28:23.579 --> 00:28:30.480 face war, they might change their minds and return 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:35.799 to Egypt. So God led the people around by the 00:28:35.799 --> 00:28:38.900 desert road toward the Red Sea, which was the 00:28:38.900 --> 00:28:43.420 longer way to go, and a dead end. The Israelites 00:28:43.420 --> 00:28:47.279 went up out of Egypt ready for battle. Did you 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:50.299 catch what just happened? The Israelites, they're 00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:52.000 delivered. They go out. They're like, we're ready 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:56.259 to fight. And God knows. God knows what they're 00:28:56.259 --> 00:28:59.259 ready for. God knows what they can handle. God 00:28:59.259 --> 00:29:05.509 goes, if they go to war, If they face war, they're 00:29:05.509 --> 00:29:08.130 going to go, hey, we want to go back to slavery 00:29:08.130 --> 00:29:13.250 and oppression. We want to go back to having 00:29:13.250 --> 00:29:15.430 taskmasters. Why? Because they at least would 00:29:15.430 --> 00:29:21.369 protect us. That wording in here, if they face 00:29:21.369 --> 00:29:27.049 war, they might change their mind. Hold on to 00:29:27.049 --> 00:29:29.599 that one. You know why? Because that's the big 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:33.900 church word we use, repentance. Do you know there 00:29:33.900 --> 00:29:36.720 is a positive repentance and a negative repentance? 00:29:37.619 --> 00:29:40.579 Why? Because repentance simply means that I change 00:29:40.579 --> 00:29:44.240 my mind that leads in such a way that leads to 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:49.539 a change of action. What was the catalyst for 00:29:49.539 --> 00:29:53.619 their change of mind? If they face war, they're 00:29:53.619 --> 00:29:56.750 going to give up on what God wants. They're going 00:29:56.750 --> 00:29:59.930 to repent of following God and they are going 00:29:59.930 --> 00:30:03.950 to go and follow and go back to where it is safe 00:30:03.950 --> 00:30:06.710 and go back to the Egyptians and put themselves 00:30:06.710 --> 00:30:12.430 under slavery and oppression. Why? Because to 00:30:12.430 --> 00:30:14.890 change your mind will lead you to a change of 00:30:14.890 --> 00:30:20.069 action. And God knows this. That when you step 00:30:20.069 --> 00:30:22.509 out to trust and obey, what's going to happen? 00:30:23.279 --> 00:30:25.440 That there are going to be forces that come against 00:30:25.440 --> 00:30:28.859 you that are going to what? Want you to change 00:30:28.859 --> 00:30:31.500 your mind on what? On who God is. On all the 00:30:31.500 --> 00:30:33.960 things we talked about. There's going to be forces 00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:36.420 on you that want you to walk away from what God 00:30:36.420 --> 00:30:43.460 has for you. Change your mind. That will lead 00:30:43.460 --> 00:30:49.500 to a change of action. Can we just like be real? 00:30:51.079 --> 00:30:54.250 Quit playing church. I'm tired of church. I'll 00:30:54.250 --> 00:31:00.990 be honest with you. What's it going to take for 00:31:00.990 --> 00:31:06.569 you to have a negative repentance? What do I 00:31:06.569 --> 00:31:09.190 mean? What's going to happen in your world that 00:31:09.190 --> 00:31:10.970 you go, I'm done with you, God. I give up on 00:31:10.970 --> 00:31:15.009 you. I give up on your road. It's too long. And 00:31:15.009 --> 00:31:17.390 don't give me the church shake your head. Oh, 00:31:17.450 --> 00:31:20.609 that could never happen to me. I don't believe 00:31:20.609 --> 00:31:27.700 it. You know why? Because you're human. Is it 00:31:27.700 --> 00:31:38.440 work stress? Can I be real honest? This week 00:31:38.440 --> 00:31:42.960 has not been good for me. I've been so stressed, 00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:49.490 you guys. If you were in my house, You would 00:31:49.490 --> 00:31:52.349 be like, you are so grumpy. And you'd be right. 00:31:54.430 --> 00:31:58.470 I've had four out of character reactions that 00:31:58.470 --> 00:32:00.890 I've had to go and apologize to those people 00:32:00.890 --> 00:32:06.390 for. Some of those being my kids this week. But 00:32:06.390 --> 00:32:09.529 you know where the stress is? It's not what's 00:32:09.529 --> 00:32:11.150 happening in my home. It's not what's happening 00:32:11.150 --> 00:32:18.099 in my life. It's what's happening outside. Charlie 00:32:18.099 --> 00:32:20.900 Kirk is assassinated in a public space and the 00:32:20.900 --> 00:32:25.500 reaction, the reaction is such that I know that 00:32:25.500 --> 00:32:27.559 as a church family, we have to walk through it. 00:32:27.640 --> 00:32:29.960 And I'm just going to be real honest with you. 00:32:29.980 --> 00:32:33.259 Maybe it's connected to COVID. I don't know. 00:32:38.539 --> 00:32:41.140 But I know this weekend, I am not going to say 00:32:41.140 --> 00:32:43.279 enough for some people and I will say too much 00:32:43.279 --> 00:32:49.529 for others. I just know it. And to try and navigate 00:32:49.529 --> 00:32:52.529 with wisdom and shepherd this moment. You know 00:32:52.529 --> 00:32:57.190 what's interesting? The word lead in this, where 00:32:57.190 --> 00:33:00.990 God leads us in this passage is the same as Psalm 00:33:00.990 --> 00:33:03.490 23 that he leads us besides the waters. It's 00:33:03.490 --> 00:33:07.289 the leading of a shepherd. And so for me, this 00:33:07.289 --> 00:33:12.299 is just real. This week sitting, there are moments, 00:33:12.359 --> 00:33:14.660 I could take you back to them, where I have gone, 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:17.839 there has to be an easier way to make a living 00:33:17.839 --> 00:33:23.519 than this. Like I've had moments where I've gone, 00:33:23.599 --> 00:33:27.140 how far can I get with the tank of gas that I 00:33:27.140 --> 00:33:31.420 have away from here? How do I just run away? 00:33:31.500 --> 00:33:36.819 How do I just jettison it all? And yet God has 00:33:36.819 --> 00:33:40.519 to bring me back and go, John, The road I have 00:33:40.519 --> 00:33:42.920 you on is the road I have you on. Will you trust 00:33:42.920 --> 00:33:53.000 and obey me? Will you trust me? Even if it's 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:54.779 hard, even if you don't like it, even if it's 00:33:54.779 --> 00:33:57.160 not what you planned, even if, will you trust 00:33:57.160 --> 00:34:00.740 and obey here? Will you confess? Will you confess? 00:34:01.180 --> 00:34:06.119 Will you confess what is wanting to change your 00:34:06.119 --> 00:34:08.059 mind, what is wanting to lead you to negative 00:34:08.059 --> 00:34:10.480 repentance? What is wanting you to leave? Will 00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:15.199 you just confess it? And so for me, it's been 00:34:15.199 --> 00:34:21.039 a week of confession. It's being honest. Lord, 00:34:21.179 --> 00:34:25.000 I don't want to do this. I want to run away. 00:34:26.039 --> 00:34:30.219 I'm tired of this. They're going to be mad. This 00:34:30.219 --> 00:34:33.739 person, and you know what the Lord's done? John, 00:34:33.760 --> 00:34:39.539 I led you like a shepherd on this road. Trust 00:34:39.539 --> 00:34:43.719 and obey me. I wonder what it is for you, right? 00:34:44.039 --> 00:34:47.000 Maybe it's the same. Maybe it's work stress and 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:50.460 your choice of how this works and where you're 00:34:50.460 --> 00:34:53.619 going to go is you're going to go back to the 00:34:53.619 --> 00:34:55.519 same old things you've been at. You're going 00:34:55.519 --> 00:34:58.920 to numb your way out of your work stress. I wonder 00:34:58.920 --> 00:35:03.079 if it's your marriage relationship. I wonder 00:35:03.079 --> 00:35:05.400 if your marriage is at a point where you know 00:35:05.400 --> 00:35:07.679 God has you on the long road with your marriage, 00:35:07.719 --> 00:35:09.440 but you're at a point where you're like, I'm 00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:12.280 ready to just be done with what God wants, and 00:35:12.280 --> 00:35:14.900 I'm ready to go over here. I'm ready to trade 00:35:14.900 --> 00:35:19.840 in and trade up. The problem is you go too, and 00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:24.699 you are the problem. Right? Like, let's just 00:35:24.699 --> 00:35:27.800 get real with it. Some of you are in relationships. 00:35:29.159 --> 00:35:31.320 That you have no business being in, but if you 00:35:31.320 --> 00:35:32.940 were really honest with God, you're like, God, 00:35:32.980 --> 00:35:37.079 the road you had me on, I'm lonely. And so you 00:35:37.079 --> 00:35:39.239 keep putting yourself into these relationships, 00:35:39.239 --> 00:35:43.599 or maybe the same one, and you keep going back 00:35:43.599 --> 00:35:48.840 to it. Because you're choosing to not trust and 00:35:48.840 --> 00:35:51.760 obey the hard road of loneliness that God has 00:35:51.760 --> 00:35:54.280 you on right now. We're not minimizing that. 00:35:55.420 --> 00:35:58.179 I'm not minimizing that it's been hard this week. 00:36:02.710 --> 00:36:06.090 But will you confess it to him? God, I'm tired 00:36:06.090 --> 00:36:10.809 of being lonely. It hurts. Everybody else seems 00:36:10.809 --> 00:36:12.730 to have these great relationships around me. 00:36:13.769 --> 00:36:15.550 But the last thing that God wants for you is 00:36:15.550 --> 00:36:17.510 to go back and put up with a bad relationship 00:36:17.510 --> 00:36:19.469 and continue to put yourself in the space that 00:36:19.469 --> 00:36:25.230 that is. Some of you, it's unanswered prayer. 00:36:25.760 --> 00:36:27.659 God hasn't answered your prayers and you're like, 00:36:27.719 --> 00:36:30.320 I'm ready to jettison this thing. God, if you 00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:32.420 were God and you were good, then you built the 00:36:32.420 --> 00:36:35.639 whole thing. Some of you, it's because one bullet 00:36:35.639 --> 00:36:39.380 killed one man and everything is shaking. God 00:36:39.380 --> 00:36:41.820 is not shaken, right? But we are shaking. And 00:36:41.820 --> 00:36:44.199 so what happens is we begin to feel like things 00:36:44.199 --> 00:36:46.900 are out of control and we see both sides of it 00:36:46.900 --> 00:36:49.139 and we hear these comments and we're ready to 00:36:49.139 --> 00:36:51.139 walk away from where God has you. You just need 00:36:51.139 --> 00:36:54.750 to know you need to trust and obey. And you just 00:36:54.750 --> 00:36:58.590 need to keep stepping forward and confess. Why? 00:36:58.889 --> 00:37:01.449 Why? And I know I'm over time. We're going to 00:37:01.449 --> 00:37:07.969 go there anyways. Chapter 14, if you follow it 00:37:07.969 --> 00:37:09.429 through and you can read on your own time from 00:37:09.429 --> 00:37:11.429 where we were to chapter 14, it talks about, 00:37:11.469 --> 00:37:13.530 it kind of gives this impression that the Israelites 00:37:13.530 --> 00:37:19.300 began to walk in circles. Verse three. Chapter 00:37:19.300 --> 00:37:21.679 14, verse 3 says this. Pharaoh will think. So 00:37:21.679 --> 00:37:23.440 when they're walking in circles, Pharaoh will 00:37:23.440 --> 00:37:25.840 think the Israelites are wandering around the 00:37:25.840 --> 00:37:28.500 land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert. And 00:37:28.500 --> 00:37:31.579 I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue 00:37:31.579 --> 00:37:35.320 them. Listen to this, listen to this. But I will 00:37:35.320 --> 00:37:40.059 gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all 00:37:40.059 --> 00:37:42.820 his armies. And the Egyptians will know that 00:37:42.820 --> 00:37:46.420 I am the Lord. So the Israelites did this. You 00:37:46.420 --> 00:37:48.579 just need to know today that if you feel like 00:37:48.579 --> 00:37:50.780 you're on the hard road and it's a season of 00:37:50.780 --> 00:37:53.099 you just keep pressing in and it feels like you're 00:37:53.099 --> 00:37:55.119 going in circles. God, we've been here before. 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:57.619 I swear I've seen that signpost before. And you 00:37:57.619 --> 00:37:59.059 feel like you're going to you just need to know 00:37:59.059 --> 00:38:03.139 there are there's a purpose to the circles. There 00:38:03.139 --> 00:38:05.559 was a purpose to them going in circles in Egypt. 00:38:06.599 --> 00:38:09.739 What was that purpose? That God would be more 00:38:09.739 --> 00:38:12.500 famous than they are. That God's glory would 00:38:12.500 --> 00:38:16.300 be seen and not theirs. That he would be known. 00:38:16.400 --> 00:38:18.400 What is the purpose of your life and what you 00:38:18.400 --> 00:38:20.300 are going through and where you are walking right 00:38:20.300 --> 00:38:22.639 now and the struggles that you have and the road 00:38:22.639 --> 00:38:25.699 that is hard? What is the purpose? That God would 00:38:25.699 --> 00:38:29.760 be known through you. That you have a holy calling 00:38:29.760 --> 00:38:32.179 on this earth. I think one of the most things 00:38:32.179 --> 00:38:34.400 that stood out this week is that Charlie chose 00:38:34.400 --> 00:38:37.510 to use his voice. But you realize that God's 00:38:37.510 --> 00:38:39.849 given you the exact same voice for his kingdom. 00:38:40.309 --> 00:38:44.769 That's not unique to him. And you just need to 00:38:44.769 --> 00:38:48.369 understand that when you say yes to the hard 00:38:48.369 --> 00:38:52.829 road and you trust God and you confess what wants 00:38:52.829 --> 00:38:55.309 to pull you aside and you continue on the road, 00:38:55.469 --> 00:38:58.570 that he will be glorified through your life. 00:38:59.429 --> 00:39:04.329 He'll be seen. He'll be seen. He'll be seen. 00:39:05.610 --> 00:39:10.489 And that is the purpose of everything. That God 00:39:10.489 --> 00:39:13.349 Almighty would be seen as the king on a throne 00:39:13.349 --> 00:39:17.030 that he is. That no matter what happens down 00:39:17.030 --> 00:39:18.929 here, we're not shaking because we know that 00:39:18.929 --> 00:39:23.150 God doesn't shake. And we stand in confidence. 00:39:24.469 --> 00:39:28.349 But in the moment, it's difficult. It's difficult. 00:39:29.150 --> 00:39:32.909 And so church, don't you quit. You continue to 00:39:32.909 --> 00:39:36.659 trust. And you continue to obey. When you feel 00:39:36.659 --> 00:39:39.219 like jettisoning, when you feel like, man, I 00:39:39.219 --> 00:39:41.760 got to get, you confess it to God. Why? Because 00:39:41.760 --> 00:39:44.500 the Holy Spirit is present just as he is here 00:39:44.500 --> 00:39:46.579 in your every moment of every day. And he wants 00:39:46.579 --> 00:39:49.219 to walk. When you feel scared, he wants to walk 00:39:49.219 --> 00:39:52.820 and you give it to him. I feel scared and I want 00:39:52.820 --> 00:39:59.039 to run. And watch him empower you to stay. Why? 00:40:00.900 --> 00:40:02.920 Because he's a God worth putting on display. 00:40:04.590 --> 00:40:07.250 Would you pray with me? God, we are so humbled 00:40:07.250 --> 00:40:10.210 by your goodness. We're so humbled by who you 00:40:10.210 --> 00:40:13.610 are. We're so thankful that you meet us here. 00:40:14.989 --> 00:40:18.530 We're so thankful that we can, God, bring to 00:40:18.530 --> 00:40:22.590 you even the most confusing moments of life, 00:40:22.650 --> 00:40:25.449 the hardest moments, the parts that make us want 00:40:25.449 --> 00:40:27.210 to leave, the parts that make us want to move. 00:40:27.269 --> 00:40:30.530 God, you are inside of those and you are working. 00:40:31.340 --> 00:40:33.900 And so we trust your working today. We trust 00:40:33.900 --> 00:40:40.900 what you are doing today. God, as we declare 00:40:40.900 --> 00:40:42.780 with our voice that you're a way maker, that 00:40:42.780 --> 00:40:48.840 means that when things seem like it's just darkness 00:40:48.840 --> 00:40:51.519 or things seem so confused that you are the one 00:40:51.519 --> 00:40:54.630 or impossible, God, you are the one. That our 00:40:54.630 --> 00:40:57.389 faith is in to do the impossible. That you are 00:40:57.389 --> 00:40:59.449 the one who makes a way when there is no way. 00:40:59.530 --> 00:41:02.030 You are the miracle worker. You break chains. 00:41:02.190 --> 00:41:06.110 Would you break chains today? Would you set us 00:41:06.110 --> 00:41:08.469 free? Would you keep us free even on the road 00:41:08.469 --> 00:41:13.690 that is hard and long? And so God, we again say 00:41:13.690 --> 00:41:16.449 thank you for Jesus who changes everything. Thank 00:41:16.449 --> 00:41:19.690 you for dying for us. Thank you for paying the 00:41:19.690 --> 00:41:21.710 penalty of our sin. And thank you for rescuing 00:41:21.710 --> 00:41:28.690 us. Thank you for loving us first. And everybody 00:41:28.690 --> 00:41:30.389 said, Amen.