WEBVTT 00:00:01.320 --> 00:00:04.179 Well, good morning, Heights Church. It is such 00:00:04.179 --> 00:00:06.740 a privilege to be with you all this morning. 00:00:07.339 --> 00:00:10.199 And as John has said, I am Landon, and this is 00:00:10.199 --> 00:00:13.240 my wife, Jenny, and we get to serve with Josiah 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:15.859 Venture in the Czech Republic. I am originally 00:00:15.859 --> 00:00:18.640 from Southern California, was born and raised 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:21.079 there, and went on my first trip to the Czech 00:00:21.079 --> 00:00:25.620 Republic in 2005 when I was 20 years old, but 00:00:25.620 --> 00:00:28.660 my wife is from the Czech Republic. That's right. 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:31.140 I grew up in the Czech Republic and I grew up 00:00:31.140 --> 00:00:33.780 in a Christian home, which is very rare in one 00:00:33.780 --> 00:00:36.340 of the most atheistic countries in the world. 00:00:36.539 --> 00:00:39.920 And we get to serve there. And our focus is youth 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:43.820 ministry because we are burdened for Czech youth. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:46.840 And we also feel a sense of urgency. There is 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:51.240 a very famous statistic that says that the majority 00:00:51.240 --> 00:00:54.179 of people who make a decision for Christ do so 00:00:54.179 --> 00:00:59.560 before their 21st birthday. And we want to just 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:03.020 say this morning, we are so incredibly thankful 00:01:03.020 --> 00:01:06.840 for the way that Heights Church sent us out over 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:10.819 11 years ago when we began our journey to serve 00:01:10.819 --> 00:01:13.079 with the youth in the Czech Republic. You guys 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:15.579 have faithfully prayed for us. You guys have 00:01:15.579 --> 00:01:18.120 faithfully given financially to support the work 00:01:18.120 --> 00:01:20.640 that we're doing. And you guys have sent teams 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:23.540 to come and help us with these camps that we 00:01:23.540 --> 00:01:26.840 run in the summer. And we are so incredibly grateful. 00:01:26.750 --> 00:01:29.739 thankful for that support. And when we moved 00:01:29.739 --> 00:01:32.859 to the Czech Republic about 11 years ago, our 00:01:32.859 --> 00:01:35.879 focus was very clear, Czech youth. And then one 00:01:35.879 --> 00:01:39.540 year into our time there, we were asked to consider 00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:42.480 also taking on a very special ministry, being 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:45.540 part of a team that focuses internally in our 00:01:45.540 --> 00:01:47.840 organization on the American missionary kids. 00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:51.700 We call them the JVK, Josiah Venture Kids. And 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:54.340 this is a very special ministry. We have about 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:56.959 100 Josiah Venture Kids. You can see a picture 00:01:56.959 --> 00:01:59.549 of some of them on the screen. screen. They are 00:01:59.549 --> 00:02:02.909 living in Central and Eastern Europe with their 00:02:02.909 --> 00:02:06.150 American parents. So their home is English speaking 00:02:06.150 --> 00:02:09.210 with American traditions. But they go to public 00:02:09.210 --> 00:02:11.729 schools and they interact with the nationals 00:02:11.729 --> 00:02:13.810 in their countries. Most of them speak the language 00:02:13.810 --> 00:02:16.189 very well. And so that's another culture they're 00:02:16.189 --> 00:02:18.750 part of. So sometimes it's very challenging for 00:02:18.750 --> 00:02:21.710 them trying to understand who am I. And this 00:02:21.710 --> 00:02:25.389 camp that we get to do. It's for 8 to 18 -year 00:02:25.389 --> 00:02:28.849 -olds. Even though we have 100 GVKs, usually 00:02:28.849 --> 00:02:31.889 about 50 of them are in that age range. And they 00:02:31.889 --> 00:02:34.770 come to this camp every summer. And they would 00:02:34.770 --> 00:02:37.169 say it's the highlight of their year because 00:02:37.169 --> 00:02:39.949 it's the one week in their year when they don't 00:02:39.949 --> 00:02:42.169 have to explain themselves. This is where they 00:02:42.169 --> 00:02:48.120 truly fit in. We want to thank the Heights family 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:52.780 for providing a very sweet, literally sweet gift 00:02:52.780 --> 00:02:57.979 to our JVKs because we have some traditions at 00:02:57.979 --> 00:02:59.979 camp. And one of the most beloved traditions 00:02:59.979 --> 00:03:02.840 is what you see in the picture, American Cereal 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:05.360 Day. And the kids wake up and they say, is it 00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:09.219 today? And we have American snacks all throughout 00:03:09.219 --> 00:03:13.000 the week, like Oreos and ranch packets that you 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:15.659 guys bring as mission teams when you. and peanut 00:03:15.659 --> 00:03:18.400 butter and pretzel sticks and American candy. 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:21.759 And they live for these traditions because actually 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:25.460 part of being a missionary kid is always going 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:28.000 through some kind of transition, welcoming new 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:32.000 people in, saying goodbye, moving. And so anything, 00:03:32.219 --> 00:03:35.020 even American snacks, can provide a stability 00:03:35.020 --> 00:03:38.430 and a sense of... okay, this is something I can 00:03:38.430 --> 00:03:41.150 look forward to that comes every single year. 00:03:41.229 --> 00:03:43.830 So thank you, Heights family, for providing that 00:03:43.830 --> 00:03:49.439 for us every year. Every age group gets to have 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:53.039 JV staff counselors. And so you can see a picture. 00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:56.219 These are our kids that we were asked to come 00:03:56.219 --> 00:03:59.020 alongside for all these years of camp. So we 00:03:59.020 --> 00:04:01.900 don't change groups every year. We stay with 00:04:01.900 --> 00:04:04.599 our same group every year and we get to come 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:06.919 alongside them and pray with them, encourage 00:04:06.919 --> 00:04:09.300 them in their faith because most of them are 00:04:09.300 --> 00:04:14.389 in. areas of Europe that are very, very secular. 00:04:14.590 --> 00:04:17.329 So it's very normal for them to be the only Christian 00:04:17.329 --> 00:04:20.949 in their whole school. And just so you can see 00:04:20.949 --> 00:04:24.310 what 10 years of ministry with them looks like, 00:04:24.329 --> 00:04:27.170 this was at our very first camp when they were 00:04:27.170 --> 00:04:31.459 eight years old. And I can't even begin to tell 00:04:31.459 --> 00:04:34.480 you how many years of laughter and American snacks 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:38.120 and prayer and Bible teaching that has been. 00:04:38.379 --> 00:04:42.660 And this past summer, we celebrated a JVK milestone 00:04:42.660 --> 00:04:47.680 because our JVK are graduating from this camp 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:49.699 and they're moving on to go to college. Most 00:04:49.699 --> 00:04:51.680 of them will move back to America where they've 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:59.220 never lived before. You know, 10 years of discipleship 00:04:59.220 --> 00:05:02.680 is so much about being present because we want 00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:05.740 to show these kids that we want to give them 00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:08.420 a glimpse of how their faithful God is present 00:05:08.420 --> 00:05:10.399 with them in everything that they're going through. 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:14.860 And so I look forward to you hearing now from 00:05:14.860 --> 00:05:17.860 Landon on one of his most favorite attributes 00:05:17.860 --> 00:05:21.339 of God, and that is the God who is present. Awesome. 00:05:21.399 --> 00:05:29.379 Thank you. Well, it really is just incredible 00:05:29.379 --> 00:05:32.399 to be able to be back with you all, Heights Church. 00:05:32.600 --> 00:05:35.720 And we've been here this entire week. And again, 00:05:35.819 --> 00:05:38.540 you guys have just taken such good care of us 00:05:38.540 --> 00:05:41.680 and have been so kind to us. We've been staying 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:44.699 with Matt and Joanne Golaher. And they found 00:05:44.699 --> 00:05:47.399 out that it's my 40th birthday this month. And 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:49.920 so Matt and Jake, they took me, or Jack took 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:53.079 me to a son's basketball game. So I got to go 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:55.620 down to Phoenix and watch. a basketball game, 00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:57.620 which was a lot of fun. Even though I'm from 00:05:57.620 --> 00:05:59.759 Los Angeles and the Lakers, I turned in my Lakers 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:02.060 card for the week and I watched the Suns and 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:04.060 I cheered them on and they won their first game. 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:07.980 So that was fun. I got to do some horseback riding 00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:10.439 this week. Had some great Mexican food. We've 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:12.519 had some great meetings with people who have 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:15.379 been on the trip. And you guys just always love 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:18.759 us so well. So thank you, Heights Church. And 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:21.519 it is a privilege today to be able to open God's 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:25.069 word with you all. And as John has said, and 00:06:25.069 --> 00:06:27.230 as I've been learning, you guys have been going 00:06:27.230 --> 00:06:30.529 through a collection of talks called snapshots 00:06:30.529 --> 00:06:35.009 from the book of Exodus and looking at characteristics 00:06:35.009 --> 00:06:39.129 of God that we can see from the book of Exodus. 00:06:39.829 --> 00:06:41.949 And when I heard that you guys were doing a study 00:06:41.949 --> 00:06:45.209 of Exodus, I was really excited because Exodus 00:06:45.209 --> 00:06:48.649 has a special place in my life because when I 00:06:48.649 --> 00:06:51.810 first started out in ministry, I was working 00:06:51.810 --> 00:06:54.970 at a church. And I was working in the college 00:06:54.970 --> 00:06:56.769 group and then the high school pastor left and 00:06:56.769 --> 00:06:58.370 they said, would you go and oversee the high 00:06:58.370 --> 00:07:00.790 school kids while we look for a new pastor? And 00:07:00.790 --> 00:07:02.930 I said, okay. And they said, you gotta teach 00:07:02.930 --> 00:07:06.149 them. You gotta have a series for them. And so 00:07:06.149 --> 00:07:08.569 I said, okay, what can I teach them? And I was 00:07:08.569 --> 00:07:10.930 taking an Old Testament survey class at seminary 00:07:10.930 --> 00:07:12.029 at the time. So I was like, can I teach them 00:07:12.029 --> 00:07:13.790 something from the Old Testament? And they're 00:07:13.790 --> 00:07:15.870 like, okay. I was like, can I do Exodus? And 00:07:15.870 --> 00:07:17.720 they're like. Okay, you can teach them Exodus. 00:07:17.899 --> 00:07:20.600 And so I took a group of about 80 high school 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:23.060 kids through the book of Exodus. This was like 00:07:23.060 --> 00:07:27.139 my first teaching challenges in ministry. And 00:07:27.139 --> 00:07:29.500 I don't know if they got a lot from that series, 00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:32.040 but I can tell you the Lord did a lot in my heart, 00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:35.019 teaching high school kids through the book of 00:07:35.019 --> 00:07:38.860 Exodus. And there's actually one passage that 00:07:38.860 --> 00:07:41.899 has been a key passage for me that I remember. 00:07:42.180 --> 00:07:45.639 And it stands out that summarizes. so much of 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:49.600 the book of Exodus for me because it highlights 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:55.339 God's heart for his people. And as we know the 00:07:55.339 --> 00:07:59.699 context, right? God brings the Israelites to 00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:03.079 Egypt because of Joseph, right? Joseph gets sold 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:06.139 into slavery. He goes to Egypt and then there's 00:08:06.139 --> 00:08:08.500 this huge famine. He brings all of his family 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:12.889 to Egypt. And then Joseph dies and then the Pharaoh 00:08:12.889 --> 00:08:17.110 dies. And now the Israelites are in Egypt and 00:08:17.110 --> 00:08:20.490 they continue to grow. And there's a new Pharaoh 00:08:20.490 --> 00:08:22.930 that comes to town and he starts persecuting 00:08:22.930 --> 00:08:25.430 them, putting them under oppression, making them 00:08:25.430 --> 00:08:29.470 do hard slavery. And it started out well in Egypt 00:08:29.470 --> 00:08:31.990 and all of a sudden it turned south and they're 00:08:31.990 --> 00:08:33.529 suffering and they're struggling and they're 00:08:33.529 --> 00:08:37.210 going, God, what are you doing in these difficult 00:08:37.210 --> 00:08:39.710 times? And so I want us to look at a passage. 00:08:40.269 --> 00:08:43.230 It's Exodus chapter two. It's the very end where 00:08:43.230 --> 00:08:47.629 we see God telling the Israelites, I see you 00:08:47.629 --> 00:08:52.389 in your suffering. So read with me. If you have 00:08:52.389 --> 00:08:55.409 your Bibles, it's Exodus chapter two, starting 00:08:55.409 --> 00:08:59.870 in verse 23. It'll also be on the screen. And 00:08:59.870 --> 00:09:03.529 let's hear God's word to the Israelites as they're 00:09:03.529 --> 00:09:07.830 experiencing slavery and oppression under the 00:09:07.830 --> 00:09:12.019 Egyptians. During those many days, the king of 00:09:12.019 --> 00:09:15.879 Egypt died and the people of Israel groaned because 00:09:15.879 --> 00:09:20.159 their slavery and they cried out for help. Their 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:23.039 cry for rescue from slavery came up to God and 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:25.899 God heard their groaning and God remembered his 00:09:25.899 --> 00:09:30.340 covenant to Abraham with Isaac and to Jacob. 00:09:30.820 --> 00:09:38.159 God saw the people of Israel and God knew. Our 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:44.200 God hears the cry of his people. The Israelites 00:09:44.200 --> 00:09:46.940 are experiencing great suffering and hardship 00:09:46.940 --> 00:09:52.000 and they cry out to God and their cries come 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:56.000 up to him. And he hears their suffering. He hears 00:09:56.000 --> 00:10:01.820 their hardship. And it says, he heard, he remembered 00:10:01.820 --> 00:10:06.940 his covenant and he saw his people and he knew. 00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:14.679 This is our God. He hears, he sees, and he keeps 00:10:14.679 --> 00:10:19.860 his promises. Can I get an amen to that? Amen. 00:10:20.940 --> 00:10:24.940 This truth became really profound to me during 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:28.500 our first two years in the Czech Republic. Because 00:10:28.500 --> 00:10:32.340 my wife and I, when we left, we left with excitement 00:10:32.340 --> 00:10:35.740 and optimism and encouragement for what God was 00:10:35.740 --> 00:10:38.940 going to do. through us to change the people 00:10:38.940 --> 00:10:43.179 of the Czech Republic. And we arrived, and in 00:10:43.179 --> 00:10:48.179 our first year, we faced some very big hardships. 00:10:49.100 --> 00:10:50.860 One of the first things that happened was when 00:10:50.860 --> 00:10:53.759 we arrived, there grew a conflict within our 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:56.659 organization, and some of the people decided 00:10:56.659 --> 00:10:59.779 that they were going to leave. And I had just 00:10:59.779 --> 00:11:01.600 been there for six months, and it was really 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:03.879 hard for me to have this tension inside of our 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:06.120 mission team, people we were working with. But 00:11:06.120 --> 00:11:08.740 it was even harder because the people that were 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:11.539 leaving were some of my closest friends, people 00:11:11.539 --> 00:11:14.899 I knew from California before we had even gone 00:11:14.899 --> 00:11:16.679 and served there. And now they were leaving. 00:11:16.899 --> 00:11:19.080 And I was heartbroken over that because I was 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:21.919 looking forward to serving with them. On top 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:23.919 of that, in our first year, when we arrived, 00:11:24.179 --> 00:11:27.019 Jenny is Czech. Her parents live in the Czech 00:11:27.019 --> 00:11:29.059 Republic. We were excited to serve with them, 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:32.200 to have them be in our lives, be a refuge. And 00:11:32.200 --> 00:11:36.340 we landed. and found out their marriage was struggling. 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:41.919 And from day one, we stepped into a very difficult 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:46.179 family situation that ultimately over a two -year 00:11:46.179 --> 00:11:49.440 period led to them getting divorced. And we were 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:52.940 heartbroken. We're like, man, this is so hard. 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:56.940 And on top of that, within our first year there, 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:01.769 Jenny got diagnosed with a chronic disease. that 00:12:01.769 --> 00:12:05.029 had a significant impact on us ever possibly 00:12:05.029 --> 00:12:08.549 being able to have children. And here we are, 00:12:08.590 --> 00:12:11.289 we've just arrived to the mission field and it's 00:12:11.289 --> 00:12:15.750 like one wave after another, after another. And 00:12:15.750 --> 00:12:18.789 you're just going, God, what are you doing? Why 00:12:18.789 --> 00:12:21.129 would you allow us to have so much hardship? 00:12:21.669 --> 00:12:25.889 We came here to serve and to see you work. And 00:12:25.889 --> 00:12:29.110 it was in that first couple of years that God 00:12:29.110 --> 00:12:33.970 humbled me. that he showed me, I don't need you. 00:12:34.529 --> 00:12:38.710 And I'm gonna take you down and I'm gonna humble 00:12:38.710 --> 00:12:41.950 you and teach you to walk with me before you 00:12:41.950 --> 00:12:44.129 ever do anything amazing for the Czech people. 00:12:44.570 --> 00:12:47.309 One of the things you have to learn to do is 00:12:47.309 --> 00:12:50.929 just rest in me. And so one of the things that 00:12:50.929 --> 00:12:54.129 I started doing that first year was going on 00:12:54.129 --> 00:12:57.190 walks with the Lord. And let me show you this 00:12:57.190 --> 00:13:00.389 path that I would go on. This is a picture of 00:13:00.389 --> 00:13:04.929 a trail that was in our city and I would go and 00:13:04.929 --> 00:13:07.970 I would just meet with God on this trail. It 00:13:07.970 --> 00:13:10.350 was by the river and I just started saying, God, 00:13:10.450 --> 00:13:13.590 I am suffering, it is hard and I just need to 00:13:13.590 --> 00:13:16.269 meet with you. I need you to be present in my 00:13:16.269 --> 00:13:20.470 life and allow you to pour out my confusion, 00:13:20.730 --> 00:13:24.870 my sadness, my hardship. And so I would meet 00:13:24.870 --> 00:13:29.200 with God on that path and I would just. Walk 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:33.820 and talk with God. And as I would do that, and 00:13:33.820 --> 00:13:35.700 as I started to develop that rhythm, I started 00:13:35.700 --> 00:13:39.659 to see God in my life. Started to find ways that 00:13:39.659 --> 00:13:43.259 he was working, even though it seemed like everything 00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:47.080 was chaos around me. And so one of the first 00:13:47.080 --> 00:13:50.559 things I can tell you about what God is doing 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:53.820 in the Czech Republic is he still is meeting 00:13:53.820 --> 00:13:59.139 me in my suffering. He showed up and was faithful 00:13:59.139 --> 00:14:03.019 when he allowed us to go through hard times to 00:14:03.019 --> 00:14:06.279 still be present. And I experienced great comfort 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:09.840 from God walking along that path and praying 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:13.659 to him as our world felt like chaos during those 00:14:13.659 --> 00:14:16.320 first two years. And I just wanna encourage you 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.539 this morning, what are some of the trials or 00:14:18.539 --> 00:14:22.159 the hardships that you are carrying? Does God 00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:26.039 have you in the midst of a storm? And do you 00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:30.070 believe, that he hears you when you pray to him? 00:14:30.370 --> 00:14:35.210 Do you go to him in your hardship and your sadness 00:14:35.210 --> 00:14:37.929 and your suffering and say, Lord, I am struggling. 00:14:38.210 --> 00:14:43.110 Will you meet me? Because God promises his people, 00:14:43.190 --> 00:14:47.710 he remembers his covenant. God remembered his 00:14:47.710 --> 00:14:51.970 covenant to the Israelites and God is still remembering 00:14:51.970 --> 00:14:54.649 his covenant with us today under the New Testament. 00:14:55.370 --> 00:14:57.090 Now, I have to show you another picture, just 00:14:57.090 --> 00:15:00.049 so you know that it's not always snowy and gloomy 00:15:00.049 --> 00:15:02.850 in the Czech Republic. There is sun there. This 00:15:02.850 --> 00:15:05.250 is another picture of the path during the summer. 00:15:05.909 --> 00:15:08.990 And after those first two years, God started 00:15:08.990 --> 00:15:12.350 in some ways to bring more joy and hope. And 00:15:12.350 --> 00:15:16.009 this was the other side of that path. And this 00:15:16.009 --> 00:15:19.769 is during the summer walk. And there are some 00:15:19.769 --> 00:15:23.669 beautiful parts of the Czech Republic. And there 00:15:23.669 --> 00:15:26.610 are beautiful times. And God has met me many 00:15:26.610 --> 00:15:32.990 days as I walk along that path. But as God remembered 00:15:32.990 --> 00:15:35.190 his faithfulness to the Israelites in the Old 00:15:35.190 --> 00:15:39.990 Testament, he also was preparing them this snapshot 00:15:39.990 --> 00:15:44.610 for a future time when he was going to send his 00:15:44.610 --> 00:15:47.950 son. And the second snapshot that I want us to 00:15:47.950 --> 00:15:52.769 look at this morning comes from God. sending 00:15:52.769 --> 00:15:56.649 his son. But I want to just connect it briefly 00:15:56.649 --> 00:16:02.669 to the end of Exodus. Because one of the beautiful 00:16:02.669 --> 00:16:05.330 things that happens is the book of Exodus is 00:16:05.330 --> 00:16:08.490 leading us ultimately when God comes and dwells 00:16:08.490 --> 00:16:12.389 with his people. When he comes and he fills the 00:16:12.389 --> 00:16:16.649 tabernacle. And this is a foreshadow of when 00:16:16.649 --> 00:16:19.769 he's going to send his son, when he's going to 00:16:19.769 --> 00:16:23.870 send Christ. And so read with me just briefly 00:16:23.870 --> 00:16:27.649 how the book of Exodus ends and then how the 00:16:27.649 --> 00:16:31.110 beginning of John begins. And we see the connection 00:16:31.110 --> 00:16:35.649 and the foreshadowing from Exodus into the book 00:16:35.649 --> 00:16:41.389 of John. This is Exodus chapter 40, verses 34. 00:16:42.850 --> 00:16:45.529 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and 00:16:45.529 --> 00:16:48.710 the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:52.100 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting 00:16:52.100 --> 00:16:55.000 because the cloud settled on it. And the glory 00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:58.919 of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout 00:16:58.919 --> 00:17:01.620 all their journeys, wherever the cloud was taken 00:17:01.620 --> 00:17:05.240 up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel 00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:08.359 would set out. And if the cloud was not taken 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:12.079 up, they did not set out till the day that it 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:15.339 was taken out. And the cloud of the Lord was 00:17:15.339 --> 00:17:18.789 on the tabernacle by day. And fire was in it 00:17:18.789 --> 00:17:21.750 by night in the sight of all the house of Israel 00:17:21.750 --> 00:17:26.670 through all their journeys. This is how the story 00:17:26.670 --> 00:17:30.609 ends in Exodus. God comes and he fills the tabernacle 00:17:30.609 --> 00:17:33.569 and he dwells with his people. And he says, I 00:17:33.569 --> 00:17:38.049 am with you. I am present and I will go with 00:17:38.049 --> 00:17:40.450 you. And then as we come to the New Testament, 00:17:40.529 --> 00:17:46.109 we see Jesus as the fulfillment of this old. 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:52.279 image of the tabernacle. Look in John chapter 00:17:52.279 --> 00:17:56.839 one, how it begins and how we see Jesus coming 00:17:56.839 --> 00:18:03.019 and tabernacling among us. John 1, 1, in the 00:18:03.019 --> 00:18:05.819 beginning was the word and the word was with 00:18:05.819 --> 00:18:09.079 us and the word was with God and the word was 00:18:09.079 --> 00:18:13.339 God. He was in the beginning with God and all 00:18:13.339 --> 00:18:16.119 things were made through him. And without him, 00:18:16.140 --> 00:18:19.220 nothing was made that is made. In him was life, 00:18:19.420 --> 00:18:23.220 and the life was the light of men. And the light 00:18:23.220 --> 00:18:25.240 shines in the darkness, and the darkness has 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:28.559 not overcome it. So we see this picture. The 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:30.759 word has come. The word is with God. The word 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:35.339 is God. And then it says he is the light of the 00:18:35.339 --> 00:18:37.960 world. He brings life. And so we're wondering, 00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:40.660 who is this word? What is this word that it's 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:43.339 speaking about that is with God in the beginning? 00:18:44.109 --> 00:18:47.549 And then in verse 14, we see the answer. And 00:18:47.549 --> 00:18:52.490 the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And 00:18:52.490 --> 00:18:55.390 we have seen his glory, the glory of the only 00:18:55.390 --> 00:18:59.309 son from the father, full of grace and truth. 00:18:59.609 --> 00:19:02.309 And this is the amazing truth of the New Testament 00:19:02.309 --> 00:19:05.809 gospel is that Christ has now come and taken 00:19:05.809 --> 00:19:10.849 on the form of flesh and he has dwelt among us. 00:19:11.369 --> 00:19:17.789 And this word, dwelt, it actually means to encamp 00:19:17.789 --> 00:19:22.430 in a tent or to tabernacle. It's connecting to 00:19:22.430 --> 00:19:25.829 that Old Testament image that like God dwelt 00:19:25.829 --> 00:19:28.109 in the tabernacle in the Old Testament, now Christ 00:19:28.109 --> 00:19:33.869 has come and he dwells among us. He is present 00:19:33.869 --> 00:19:37.809 with us. And that's that second snapshot that 00:19:37.809 --> 00:19:42.339 has become a huge encouragement to me as I have 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:45.400 served in the Czech Republic, is to look to the 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:49.160 life of Christ as a model of what does it mean 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:53.480 to live for God? And how does God model his love 00:19:53.480 --> 00:19:58.700 for us? It's incarnational. He has come and he 00:19:58.700 --> 00:20:03.319 has dwelt among us. God is not distant and just 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:06.700 removed, created and just let the world run its 00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:10.140 course. But he actually said, I am so concerned 00:20:10.140 --> 00:20:14.240 for humanity. that I have sent my son to come 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:18.539 and live and dwell among you. And so for me and 00:20:18.539 --> 00:20:20.859 Jenny, one of the things that's been crucial 00:20:20.859 --> 00:20:24.579 in our ministry is to try and follow the model 00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:29.099 of Christ, to try and live incarnationally, to 00:20:29.099 --> 00:20:32.460 try and spend time dwelling with the young people 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:37.130 in our city. And so small groups have been a 00:20:37.130 --> 00:20:40.049 huge part of our ministry. From the very beginning, 00:20:40.230 --> 00:20:43.410 we have said, we want to spend time with young 00:20:43.410 --> 00:20:46.490 people. We wanna meet them where they are, and 00:20:46.490 --> 00:20:49.569 we want to create an opportunity for them to 00:20:49.569 --> 00:20:52.190 come together and to study God's word and to 00:20:52.190 --> 00:20:55.210 read his word and to pray together. And so from 00:20:55.210 --> 00:20:57.890 the beginning of our ministry, we have been advocating 00:20:57.890 --> 00:21:00.690 and encouraging and supporting small groups. 00:21:01.170 --> 00:21:04.680 And I wanna show you a picture. of my small group. 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:08.579 So here's a group of young Czech guys from my 00:21:08.579 --> 00:21:11.420 church, and we're sitting at a coffee shop, and 00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:15.039 we're reading God's Word. And my small group 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:17.960 started with just one boy from my church. And 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:20.380 I met him Sunday, and I said, hey, do you want 00:21:20.380 --> 00:21:23.059 to meet together? He kept coming regularly to 00:21:23.059 --> 00:21:24.980 our church. I said, let's just meet and start 00:21:24.980 --> 00:21:28.359 studying God's Word. So we did. And we would 00:21:28.359 --> 00:21:30.759 go for a walk, and we would spend 30 minutes 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:32.960 speaking English and 30 minutes speaking Czech. 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:35.059 So I could practice my Czech, he could practice 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:37.900 his English. And then we invited another boy. 00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:41.519 So we had two guys. And then we added a third. 00:21:41.900 --> 00:21:43.500 And all of a sudden, they just started inviting 00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:46.539 more and more of their friends to where now I 00:21:46.539 --> 00:21:49.619 have like over 14 guys on my list for my small 00:21:49.619 --> 00:21:53.500 group. And we meet every Sunday and we have three 00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:57.140 very basic things we do. We come together and 00:21:57.140 --> 00:22:01.599 we share about our lives. And we use the five 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:04.220 Fs to help us talk about it. We talk about faith, 00:22:04.500 --> 00:22:08.039 family, females, because that's important for 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:13.000 young men, finances and school, and fitness and 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:15.640 health. And we say, we're gonna share about the 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:18.500 important things in our lives. We're gonna share 00:22:18.500 --> 00:22:21.180 our lives together. And I'm gonna help you guys 00:22:21.180 --> 00:22:24.759 learn how to talk about your life and how can 00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:27.519 we keep each other accountable and encourage 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:32.200 each other. And then we study God's word and 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:35.720 then we pray for each other. And one of the things 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:38.140 that's just been beautiful to see is as Jenny 00:22:38.140 --> 00:22:40.259 and I open our home to people, we have these 00:22:40.259 --> 00:22:43.079 guys in our home or we meet at our church or 00:22:43.079 --> 00:22:45.619 in a coffee shop, is just to get into their lives 00:22:45.619 --> 00:22:49.119 and to hear what they're going through. One of 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:51.220 the boys has gone through, his parents have gone 00:22:51.220 --> 00:22:53.500 through a divorce. One of the boys in my small 00:22:53.500 --> 00:22:56.559 group has struggled with suicidal thoughts. One 00:22:56.559 --> 00:22:59.619 of the boys has struggled with... wrestling with 00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:01.039 his relationship with his girlfriend? And how 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:04.220 should he handle himself in that relationship? 00:23:04.980 --> 00:23:08.160 And I just get to live and be in their lives 00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:11.400 and try and model like Christ to be incarnational. 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:14.319 And so I just wanna encourage and challenge you 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:16.579 this morning. What does it look like for you 00:23:16.579 --> 00:23:22.099 to be incarnational where God has you? What does 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:25.299 it look like for you to go and to live with the 00:23:25.299 --> 00:23:29.009 people around you? As I've been staying with 00:23:29.009 --> 00:23:30.509 the Gallahers, one of the things I've noticed 00:23:30.509 --> 00:23:34.430 is walking in their street, they live in an area 00:23:34.430 --> 00:23:36.430 that's a little bit outside of Prescott and there's 00:23:36.430 --> 00:23:39.170 all these homes and there's signs as you walk 00:23:39.170 --> 00:23:43.089 by that say, there's a big sign or a gate around 00:23:43.089 --> 00:23:46.150 the building. No trespassing, beware of dog, 00:23:46.529 --> 00:23:50.109 private property. We will shoot you on sight, 00:23:50.190 --> 00:23:52.450 right? You gotta be careful there, you know? 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:55.480 It kind of gives the image, we don't necessarily 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:58.079 want you to come and have a conversation. But 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:01.039 as Christians, we should have a different posture 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:04.099 to the world, right? We should say, look, I want 00:24:04.099 --> 00:24:07.279 to engage in a conversation. I want to go and 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:11.500 cross barriers to meet you, to engage in conversation 00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:15.380 with you. And ultimately, that's the model that 00:24:15.380 --> 00:24:19.180 Christ has given us, that he has come and he 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:22.730 has died and he has given us the call. to be 00:24:22.730 --> 00:24:26.869 incarnational, to live among the people. And 00:24:26.869 --> 00:24:30.650 the last story I just wanna share is the way 00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:34.029 that God has called us to share his gospel. And 00:24:34.029 --> 00:24:37.589 in the Great Commission, he tells us to go and 00:24:37.589 --> 00:24:40.829 make disciples, tells us to baptize them, which 00:24:40.829 --> 00:24:43.390 we're going to see, and he calls us to teach 00:24:43.390 --> 00:24:47.359 them all that he has commanded us. And this is 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:49.119 the last thing God has allowed me and Jenny to 00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:51.380 be a part of. I get to teach at a Bible college. 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:53.599 I get to work with students. This is a picture 00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:56.980 of some of the students we work with. But God, 00:24:57.079 --> 00:25:00.819 one more, sorry, one more picture. God is working 00:25:00.819 --> 00:25:05.400 among young leaders in Central and Eastern Europe 00:25:05.400 --> 00:25:09.480 through a college where I get to teach. And we 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:11.180 have many young students that are coming and 00:25:11.180 --> 00:25:13.920 studying and getting a bachelor's degree in Bible 00:25:13.920 --> 00:25:17.990 and in theology. We've had over 45 students study 00:25:17.990 --> 00:25:22.210 with us. 25 of them have graduated. And we're 00:25:22.210 --> 00:25:24.230 just seeing young leaders being trained up and 00:25:24.230 --> 00:25:27.890 equipped to share the gospel in Central and Eastern 00:25:27.890 --> 00:25:31.210 Europe. And God has given Jenny a heart. He's 00:25:31.210 --> 00:25:34.289 given us a passion to invest our lives into young 00:25:34.289 --> 00:25:37.509 people. We wanna see them. We wanna share our 00:25:37.509 --> 00:25:40.069 lives with them. We wanna study God's word with 00:25:40.069 --> 00:25:43.759 them and wanna empower them to go out. And so, 00:25:43.779 --> 00:25:45.299 Heights, I just want to encourage you this morning, 00:25:45.339 --> 00:25:47.299 as you guys have supported us and prayed for 00:25:47.299 --> 00:25:50.940 us, God is allowing your investment to do some 00:25:50.940 --> 00:25:54.160 incredible things among the youth in the Czech 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:57.400 Republic. And the last thing is this incredible 00:25:57.400 --> 00:26:00.000 partnership with our church in the city of Olomouc. 00:26:00.180 --> 00:26:03.480 And our pastor has a message for you this morning 00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:06.880 to hear from him, from our pastor at our church, 00:26:06.900 --> 00:26:09.759 to encourage you and thank you for the way you 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:13.299 guys have partnered with us for many years. Here's 00:26:13.299 --> 00:26:15.500 a video from our pastor. Hello, my name is David. 00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:19.099 Hello, my name is David, and I'm the pastor of 00:26:19.099 --> 00:26:22.700 the Baptist Church here in Old Roads, where Landon 00:26:22.700 --> 00:26:26.079 and Jenny goes and serves the youth group. And 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:28.940 we are very thankful for them and for your support 00:26:28.940 --> 00:26:32.140 of them. And we are also very thankful for your 00:26:32.140 --> 00:26:36.200 support of our church, sending teams for English 00:26:36.200 --> 00:26:40.250 camps. So thank you again and we hope to continue 00:26:40.250 --> 00:26:44.450 the relationship with you and partnership. And 00:26:44.450 --> 00:26:47.650 if you can pray for us, we would be very thankful 00:26:47.650 --> 00:26:52.170 also for the church, for integrity of the church 00:26:52.170 --> 00:26:56.809 and for openness to be mission minded also in 00:26:56.809 --> 00:27:03.130 our area. And also for the good relationships 00:27:03.130 --> 00:27:06.230 within the church and for the small groups also. 00:27:07.420 --> 00:27:07.960 Thank you.