1 00:00:21,300 --> 00:00:24,300 Will. 2 00:00:30,133 --> 00:00:33,133 Have. 3 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:46,500 The Christmas story 4 00:00:46,500 --> 00:00:49,500 really began in the Exodus story. 5 00:00:50,500 --> 00:00:51,966 But God showed the world. 6 00:00:51,966 --> 00:00:54,133 He made promises to his people and said. 7 00:00:54,133 --> 00:00:57,800 I will deliver you out of bondage and slavery into the promised land. 8 00:00:58,033 --> 00:01:02,633 That was the runner of what we know as the Christmas story 9 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:06,200 in the advent of Jesus delivering us from our sin. 10 00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:08,900 And so, as we kick off this Christmas season, 11 00:01:08,900 --> 00:01:12,933 we're going to start back in the exodus to see 12 00:01:12,933 --> 00:01:16,966 how God was faithful to his promises in the hope that his people had. 13 00:01:18,300 --> 00:01:21,300 And to do that, it was my son, Caleb. 14 00:01:21,766 --> 00:01:24,833 And, Shelly and I have three sons. 15 00:01:24,833 --> 00:01:26,600 Cannabis, our middle son. 16 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,600 And it is a joy and a privilege and an honor 17 00:01:29,633 --> 00:01:31,300 to share the pulpit with him this morning. 18 00:01:32,500 --> 00:01:33,500 We grew up. 19 00:01:33,500 --> 00:01:38,100 He grew up out here in Ranchos and all three of the schools, Webster Arms 20 00:01:38,100 --> 00:01:40,366 and Legs. 21 00:01:40,366 --> 00:01:44,000 And Caleb has always had a heart that chased hard after Jesus 22 00:01:45,100 --> 00:01:47,100 since he was a little boy. 23 00:01:47,100 --> 00:01:51,733 I know that that that it it found expression as he grew up. 24 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:54,966 His sophomore year at LA, he started 25 00:01:54,966 --> 00:01:57,966 the FCA group there, 26 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:01,400 and became president of that and ran that for three years, 27 00:02:02,233 --> 00:02:05,066 during his his junior and senior football season, 28 00:02:05,066 --> 00:02:08,700 as much as he wanted and did succeed on the football field. 29 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,766 His heart was to chase after God, and football 30 00:02:11,766 --> 00:02:14,766 had to be more than just a game for him. 31 00:02:15,266 --> 00:02:20,366 And he started a thing called Beyond the game in which he rose. 32 00:02:20,866 --> 00:02:25,366 They raised, $10 for every point that that the team scored. 33 00:02:25,566 --> 00:02:29,500 And over those two years, they raised over $10,000 for Valley Children's Hospital. 34 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:33,800 He's always chase hard after God and the things of God. 35 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,366 He went to college in South Dakota to play football 36 00:02:36,366 --> 00:02:39,733 and get his master is his degree in mechanical engineering. 37 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:42,833 And upon arrival in South Dakota, he started teaching 38 00:02:42,833 --> 00:02:45,833 the fifth grade Sunday School class. 39 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,300 And through the football team, when they would travel, 40 00:02:48,300 --> 00:02:51,933 he would be their traveling chapel, chaplain and lead chapel for the guys. 41 00:02:52,733 --> 00:02:54,000 And when he got done playing football, 42 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,000 they asked him to come back and be in the chaplain. 43 00:02:57,266 --> 00:03:00,266 He's recently moved to Minnesota, and he got to Minnesota 44 00:03:00,300 --> 00:03:03,300 and went to church and started teaching the fifth Street. 45 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:04,700 Fifth, sixth grade Sunday school class. 46 00:03:04,700 --> 00:03:05,933 There. 47 00:03:05,933 --> 00:03:08,200 And being in the kindergarten a want 48 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,200 a teacher on Wednesday night. 49 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:13,200 How cool would that be as a kindergarten kid? 50 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:14,100 To have him teaching you, 51 00:03:15,033 --> 00:03:16,100 and now is stepping 52 00:03:16,100 --> 00:03:19,133 into leading the young adult ministry at that church. 53 00:03:20,033 --> 00:03:23,033 He's always had a heart that chase hard after God, 54 00:03:23,500 --> 00:03:28,166 and he shared with me a Bible study that he's written multi-part Bible study. 55 00:03:28,500 --> 00:03:31,500 And as a kid, if I want you to, I want you to preach that to our church. 56 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:33,600 The things that God 57 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:37,400 is imparting to you, Caleb, and the sensitivity you have to the spirit 58 00:03:37,900 --> 00:03:40,433 and the maturity you have to listen to God 59 00:03:40,433 --> 00:03:43,433 and build your life to him. 60 00:03:44,633 --> 00:03:45,666 Parents always want their kids 61 00:03:45,666 --> 00:03:48,666 to be better than them, right? 62 00:03:50,100 --> 00:03:51,900 So. Thank you. 63 00:03:51,900 --> 00:03:54,900 I love you, and I'm very proud. 64 00:03:55,333 --> 00:03:58,333 Will you welcome Caleb this morning? 65 00:04:04,366 --> 00:04:06,433 He gave you the extended bio. 66 00:04:06,433 --> 00:04:08,966 I was just going to tell you my name. Sam. 67 00:04:08,966 --> 00:04:10,566 The second middle kid. 68 00:04:10,566 --> 00:04:15,400 I live in Minnesota now, so thank you for the full bio. 69 00:04:16,866 --> 00:04:17,933 Well, good morning side. 70 00:04:17,933 --> 00:04:20,933 I'm very, very excited to be here and, 71 00:04:21,300 --> 00:04:24,300 get a break from the tundra that is Minnesota. 72 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,900 Now, looking at my dad and I, you can see there's some differences. 73 00:04:27,900 --> 00:04:30,833 The hair, the youth. 74 00:04:30,833 --> 00:04:32,333 But something we have in common is. 75 00:04:32,333 --> 00:04:34,233 I got a lot to say, and only so much time to say it. 76 00:04:34,233 --> 00:04:36,966 So we're going to get right, right into it this morning. 77 00:04:36,966 --> 00:04:39,500 But first, if you join me in prayer. 78 00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:42,366 Heavenly father, thank you for this opportunity to meet 79 00:04:42,366 --> 00:04:44,900 and pursue you together as a church. 80 00:04:44,900 --> 00:04:48,433 I pray that you would teach us and prepare our hearts for all you have to say. 81 00:04:48,633 --> 00:04:51,633 Bless this time for your glory. Amen. 82 00:04:51,933 --> 00:04:54,866 This morning I'm going to talk about the Israelites journey. 83 00:04:54,866 --> 00:04:59,133 Going from Egypt to God's promised land, and how I believe we can have hope 84 00:04:59,133 --> 00:05:02,666 and God's promises even when we're going through the deserts of life. 85 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:06,800 As we enter the Christmas season, we can tend to see Scripture 86 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:08,366 in a different light. 87 00:05:08,366 --> 00:05:09,433 As we get closer and closer 88 00:05:09,433 --> 00:05:12,933 to celebrating the birth of Jesus and the story in Exodus is no different. 89 00:05:13,666 --> 00:05:18,200 The Israelites promise of a new home is reminiscent of our promise of heaven. 90 00:05:18,700 --> 00:05:22,500 Just as the Israelites were physically, delivered from slavery. 91 00:05:22,533 --> 00:05:26,633 We've been spiritually delivered from slavery to sin through Jesus. 92 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,000 And just as the Israelites were able to trust in God, 93 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,000 even though all they saw was the desert, were able to trust in God. 94 00:05:33,366 --> 00:05:34,933 Though all we see is this world. 95 00:05:36,233 --> 00:05:36,566 And while 96 00:05:36,566 --> 00:05:40,000 reading the Israelites story at Exodus, I found it very compelling 97 00:05:40,466 --> 00:05:43,466 how the Israelites would continue to lose faith 98 00:05:43,833 --> 00:05:45,933 even though they knew, what 99 00:05:45,933 --> 00:05:48,933 God had told them, and God told them what he had in store for them. 100 00:05:49,100 --> 00:05:53,766 They spent a lot of time experiencing the opposite of what God promised. 101 00:05:54,266 --> 00:05:58,000 Instead of a land flowing with milk and honey, they were surrounded 102 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:02,133 by the desolate desert and it consistently wore them down. 103 00:06:03,666 --> 00:06:07,200 And in considering the Israelites story, I realize that often times in our lives 104 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,366 we hear in church that we can that God's going to deliver us. 105 00:06:10,366 --> 00:06:14,333 And and we read in our Bibles that God is faithful to His Word. 106 00:06:14,433 --> 00:06:18,100 But sometimes what we experience feels like the complete opposite 107 00:06:18,100 --> 00:06:20,533 of what we hear and read in church. In the Bible. 108 00:06:21,900 --> 00:06:22,266 So I'm going to 109 00:06:22,266 --> 00:06:25,666 highlight three instances in the Israelites Exodus story, 110 00:06:26,100 --> 00:06:29,233 and their corresponding hindrances that tried to keep them 111 00:06:29,433 --> 00:06:31,366 from keeping their hope in God. 112 00:06:31,366 --> 00:06:33,533 We're going to see 113 00:06:33,533 --> 00:06:36,533 that I can trust God when my situation gets worse. 114 00:06:37,233 --> 00:06:41,366 We're going to see that I can trust God in the face of fear, and that I can trust 115 00:06:41,366 --> 00:06:45,300 God when it appears everyone but me is experiencing God's promises. 116 00:06:46,833 --> 00:06:49,400 But before we get into trust in God's promises, 117 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,400 I think it's important to identify what God's promises are. 118 00:06:52,766 --> 00:06:55,866 And Scripture is riddled with promises from God. 119 00:06:56,766 --> 00:07:00,933 But to highlight a few, here's just a handful of them on the screen. 120 00:07:01,266 --> 00:07:04,400 We're promised in first John four nine that God loves us. 121 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:07,200 It reads we love because he first love us. 122 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:08,466 First John one nine. 123 00:07:08,466 --> 00:07:11,133 We're promise that God forgives us if we confess our sins. 124 00:07:11,133 --> 00:07:11,933 He is faithful 125 00:07:11,933 --> 00:07:15,400 and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 126 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:19,933 We're promised that God is in control in John 1633, in the world 127 00:07:20,100 --> 00:07:21,866 you will have tribulation, but take heart. 128 00:07:21,866 --> 00:07:23,833 I have overcome the world. 129 00:07:23,833 --> 00:07:25,633 We're promised that God will guide us. 130 00:07:25,633 --> 00:07:29,200 In Psalm 32 eight, I will trust, and I will instruct you 131 00:07:29,533 --> 00:07:31,800 and teach you in the way you should go. 132 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:35,100 And in Psalm 91, three were promised that God protects us. 133 00:07:35,566 --> 00:07:37,200 It reads, For he will deliver you 134 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,200 from the snare of the Fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 135 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:43,100 And I realize we may have heard these concepts 136 00:07:43,100 --> 00:07:46,433 so often, that we recognize them more as hopeful ideas, 137 00:07:46,500 --> 00:07:49,500 rather than the definite truths in our lives that they are. 138 00:07:50,233 --> 00:07:53,766 But I challenge you this morning to consider these verses and what they say 139 00:07:53,766 --> 00:07:57,133 to be undeniable promises from the Almighty to you. 140 00:07:57,566 --> 00:07:58,333 As we continue. 141 00:08:00,266 --> 00:08:02,000 Our story starts in Exodus chapter three. 142 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:03,866 So if you have a Bible or brought one with you, 143 00:08:03,866 --> 00:08:06,866 you go ahead and turn with me to Exodus chapter three. 144 00:08:07,133 --> 00:08:11,400 And it's here that we read that the Israelites, God's chosen 145 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:15,300 people, are being persecuted greatly under Pharaoh's rule in Egypt. 146 00:08:15,300 --> 00:08:18,300 Pharaoh being the king of Egypt, 147 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:20,700 and Moses having fled Egypt, 148 00:08:20,700 --> 00:08:24,466 finds himself talking to God by a bush that's on fire but not burning. 149 00:08:24,466 --> 00:08:27,466 You might have heard this part of the story before, 150 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,433 and it's here that God tells Moses that he is going to be the one 151 00:08:31,433 --> 00:08:35,100 to bring his people, the Israelites, out of Egypt in Exodus 152 00:08:36,866 --> 00:08:39,033 chapter three, verse 11, 153 00:08:39,033 --> 00:08:41,700 Moses responds to God with, But God. 154 00:08:41,700 --> 00:08:42,933 But Moses said to God, 155 00:08:42,933 --> 00:08:46,166 who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? 156 00:08:46,533 --> 00:08:50,033 And God said, I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you. 157 00:08:50,366 --> 00:08:51,433 It is I who have sent you. 158 00:08:51,433 --> 00:08:53,466 When you have brought the people out of Egypt, 159 00:08:53,466 --> 00:08:55,333 you will worship God on this mountain. 160 00:08:57,533 --> 00:08:59,100 Now, when Moses is, 161 00:08:59,100 --> 00:09:02,133 hearing from God that that he's been called to be used in this great way, 162 00:09:02,133 --> 00:09:06,366 he does what I think most of us will do when he looks for some type of reassurance 163 00:09:06,366 --> 00:09:09,100 that what God is telling him is actually true. 164 00:09:09,100 --> 00:09:10,000 And then later verses, 165 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,000 we see that he's fearful that the Israelites won't believe him, 166 00:09:13,133 --> 00:09:16,733 and he's questioning if he even has what it takes to be used by God in this way. 167 00:09:17,533 --> 00:09:20,000 I think this is something that applies to all of us. 168 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,366 How many times have we felt called by God to live in a certain way, 169 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:25,266 or to follow him in a certain way, 170 00:09:25,266 --> 00:09:27,766 or we just don't feel like we have what it takes? 171 00:09:27,766 --> 00:09:30,700 It's not necessarily a question of our desire to follow God. 172 00:09:30,700 --> 00:09:34,133 We just simply don't see ourselves as having the required abilities 173 00:09:34,133 --> 00:09:35,533 to conquer what's in front of us. 174 00:09:36,533 --> 00:09:38,100 And that's what Moses is facing. 175 00:09:38,100 --> 00:09:41,100 And I think God's response is very, very significant. 176 00:09:42,300 --> 00:09:43,833 When Moses is looking for reassurance, God 177 00:09:43,833 --> 00:09:46,833 tells him, I will be with you and you will worship me. 178 00:09:46,866 --> 00:09:50,200 Notice in the second point that Moses signed from God 179 00:09:50,533 --> 00:09:53,200 that what God is saying is true is that after 180 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,200 he brings the people out of Egypt, they'll worship him on that mountain, 181 00:09:57,300 --> 00:09:58,366 God gives Moses sign. 182 00:09:58,366 --> 00:10:01,833 This is actually God's will after God. 183 00:10:01,866 --> 00:10:03,933 Moses has already followed God. 184 00:10:03,933 --> 00:10:05,266 Again, verse 12 reads, 185 00:10:05,266 --> 00:10:08,600 and this will be the sign to you that is I who have sent you. 186 00:10:08,866 --> 00:10:10,500 When you have brought the people out of Egypt, 187 00:10:10,500 --> 00:10:11,800 you will worship God in this mountain. 188 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,033 The way I see it doesn't seem to be what Moses is looking for. 189 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:18,800 It doesn't appear to offer any confidence in the moment. 190 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:20,966 Moses wants to know that he'll be successful 191 00:10:20,966 --> 00:10:22,633 in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. 192 00:10:22,633 --> 00:10:25,633 So God says, we'll give Moses a sign that he'll be successful 193 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:28,533 after he has already successfully brought the Israelites out of Egypt. 194 00:10:28,533 --> 00:10:29,933 It feels backwards to me. 195 00:10:31,433 --> 00:10:33,266 Now, in later verses, God gives Moses 196 00:10:33,266 --> 00:10:36,900 physical signs to convince the Israelites that what he's saying is from God. 197 00:10:36,900 --> 00:10:39,266 But I don't want to miss a point here in verse 12. 198 00:10:39,266 --> 00:10:41,100 And this is something I've heard from Pastor Carl. 199 00:10:41,100 --> 00:10:44,100 And I know a lot of us have also heard sometimes 200 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:48,200 we just have to say yes to God before we know what we're saying yes to, 201 00:10:48,966 --> 00:10:53,266 because sometimes God calls us to follow him, even though we aren't 100% confident 202 00:10:54,066 --> 00:10:56,433 that we're going to succeed, and only after we've obeyed God 203 00:10:56,433 --> 00:10:59,900 in the way he's called us to obey him, do we get the reassurance. 204 00:11:01,500 --> 00:11:03,300 This is where faith comes in. 205 00:11:03,300 --> 00:11:06,300 We follow God without knowing what we're going into. 206 00:11:06,300 --> 00:11:09,300 God calling you to go is your call to action. 207 00:11:09,700 --> 00:11:11,100 We don't know how we're going to do it, 208 00:11:11,100 --> 00:11:14,100 but God said to the Israelites, we're going to go talk to Pharaoh. 209 00:11:14,700 --> 00:11:17,000 Some of us may have a calling on our hearts from God, 210 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:18,600 and we want to follow it, 211 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:21,666 but we don't think we can because God hasn't given us enough information yet. 212 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:23,500 We think we're ready to live for God. 213 00:11:23,500 --> 00:11:26,666 If only he would tell us how we're supposed to do what we're supposed to do. 214 00:11:28,166 --> 00:11:29,233 It's not a comforting 215 00:11:29,233 --> 00:11:32,233 notion, but we don't get to know that all the time. 216 00:11:32,466 --> 00:11:33,800 We don't need more information. 217 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:35,100 We don't need to know what's going to happen. 218 00:11:35,100 --> 00:11:37,100 We don't need more time to think it through. 219 00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:40,733 Let God worry about the who and the what, and the wind and the why in the how. 220 00:11:40,866 --> 00:11:42,700 And just say yes. 221 00:11:42,700 --> 00:11:45,166 Because sometimes the reassurance comes after obedience. 222 00:11:45,166 --> 00:11:48,366 So if you want the comfort and the reassurance and start obeying, 223 00:11:49,333 --> 00:11:52,333 God's command is the call to action. 224 00:11:53,366 --> 00:11:56,533 So Moses makes a decision to answer God's call on his life. 225 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:59,800 Like many of us, he starts the journey of hearing God's promises, 226 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,800 but not yet knowing how they're going to be revealed. 227 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:05,333 And before too long, Moses and his brother 228 00:12:05,333 --> 00:12:08,433 Aaron go to Pharaoh, asking him about the Israelites, God of Egypt. 229 00:12:08,433 --> 00:12:13,766 However, Pharaoh refuses and instead increases the Israelites workload. 230 00:12:14,966 --> 00:12:18,266 Exodus chapter five, verses 6 to 9 give Pharaoh's response. 231 00:12:18,266 --> 00:12:20,133 That same day, Pharaoh 232 00:12:20,133 --> 00:12:23,833 gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people 233 00:12:24,466 --> 00:12:28,000 who are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks. 234 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,833 Let them go and gather their own straw, but require them to make the same number 235 00:12:31,833 --> 00:12:34,800 bricks as before. Don't reduce the quota. 236 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:35,866 They are lazy. 237 00:12:35,866 --> 00:12:37,333 That is why they are crying out. 238 00:12:37,333 --> 00:12:39,400 Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 239 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:41,100 Make the work harder for the people 240 00:12:41,100 --> 00:12:44,100 so that they keep working to pay no attention to lies. 241 00:12:45,033 --> 00:12:46,866 The Israelites, who are already in severe 242 00:12:46,866 --> 00:12:49,900 misery, now have to produce the same amount of product. 243 00:12:49,900 --> 00:12:50,966 With less resources. 244 00:12:50,966 --> 00:12:53,966 Their workload is just absurdly increased. 245 00:12:54,433 --> 00:12:57,600 And when the Israelites realize that they're now in worsening conditions, 246 00:12:57,933 --> 00:13:01,666 they become upset with Moses and Aaron saying that they're they're going 247 00:13:01,666 --> 00:13:02,900 to die by Pharaoh's hand. 248 00:13:04,233 --> 00:13:05,566 Moses response to God is 249 00:13:05,566 --> 00:13:09,366 recorded in verses 22 and 23. 250 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:14,233 Moses returned to the Lord and said, why, Lord, have you? 251 00:13:14,233 --> 00:13:16,600 Why have you brought this trouble on this people? 252 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:18,200 Is this why you sent me? 253 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:18,866 Ever since 254 00:13:18,866 --> 00:13:22,300 I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people. 255 00:13:22,300 --> 00:13:25,200 And you have not rescued your people at all. 256 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:26,966 Imagine being a Moses shoes here. 257 00:13:26,966 --> 00:13:29,700 God calls him to deliver the Israelites, and after trying 258 00:13:29,700 --> 00:13:32,700 the Israelites situation gets worse. 259 00:13:32,733 --> 00:13:34,133 Here's point one for before. 260 00:13:34,133 --> 00:13:37,666 Have you ever felt like you're doing exactly what God called you to do, 261 00:13:38,266 --> 00:13:41,266 but you're getting further away from his promises? 262 00:13:41,700 --> 00:13:44,700 Moses didn't go to God looking to be the one to deliver the Israelites. 263 00:13:45,033 --> 00:13:48,033 And when God called Moses to free the Israelites, he didn't want to do it. 264 00:13:48,900 --> 00:13:51,833 When God was calling Moses at the bush, that didn't burn. 265 00:13:51,833 --> 00:13:52,533 It's written 266 00:13:52,533 --> 00:13:56,400 that Moses as part of your servant Lord, please send someone else point blank. 267 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:01,200 Moses doesn't want to be in this position, but here he is trying to serve God. 268 00:14:01,433 --> 00:14:04,133 And the opposite of what God said would happen is happening. 269 00:14:05,266 --> 00:14:06,366 The Israelites aren't being treated. 270 00:14:06,366 --> 00:14:09,000 They're being treated worse than before. 271 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,733 I don't think this is a foreign feeling for a lot of us. 272 00:14:11,733 --> 00:14:12,666 We want to. 273 00:14:12,666 --> 00:14:15,666 We try to obey God and follow God and serve God 274 00:14:15,700 --> 00:14:17,700 instead of getting to the other side of God's promises. 275 00:14:17,700 --> 00:14:19,600 We feel further than before. 276 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,600 We feel less hope, less joy, and we maybe start questioning 277 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:25,800 that we're doing the right thing altogether. 278 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,233 This is very counterintuitive to how we might expect following God to look. 279 00:14:30,100 --> 00:14:33,100 Most of us think we should get rewarded in life when we put in the work, 280 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:36,200 and we expect our relationship with God to function in the same way. 281 00:14:36,566 --> 00:14:38,933 We might think, I'm doing everything you asked of me, God, 282 00:14:38,933 --> 00:14:41,400 and you said you deliver me. So why aren't you keeping up your end? 283 00:14:42,933 --> 00:14:44,966 Let's see what God says to Moses 284 00:14:44,966 --> 00:14:47,966 when when he returns to him and see if you notice any similarities 285 00:14:47,966 --> 00:14:51,733 between what God has already told Moses and what God says. How? 286 00:14:53,700 --> 00:14:56,800 From Exodus chapter six, verse one, then the Lord said to Moses, now 287 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:00,000 you will see what I will do to Pharaoh because of my mighty hand. 288 00:15:00,066 --> 00:15:02,600 He will let them go. Because of my mighty hand. 289 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,600 He will drive them out of this country and this country. 290 00:15:05,633 --> 00:15:09,700 Couple verses later, verses 6 to 7, we continue, 291 00:15:10,166 --> 00:15:12,933 therefore say to the Israelites, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out 292 00:15:12,933 --> 00:15:14,900 from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 293 00:15:14,900 --> 00:15:18,033 I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you 294 00:15:18,033 --> 00:15:21,033 with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 295 00:15:21,466 --> 00:15:24,200 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. 296 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:27,133 Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out 297 00:15:27,133 --> 00:15:28,600 from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 298 00:15:30,333 --> 00:15:32,200 God essentially 299 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:34,800 tells Moses the same thing you told them before. 300 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,566 It doesn't seem to be any new information or reassurance. 301 00:15:37,566 --> 00:15:40,333 Now that Moses has tried to feed the Israelites 302 00:15:40,333 --> 00:15:42,833 and they're in a worse situation. 303 00:15:42,833 --> 00:15:45,833 Why would God call us to follow him 304 00:15:45,833 --> 00:15:49,733 than seemingly not respond to our to our efforts, or respond 305 00:15:49,733 --> 00:15:52,800 with no new information when our initial efforts fall short? 306 00:15:54,133 --> 00:15:55,500 Two ideas come to mind. 307 00:15:55,500 --> 00:15:57,800 Why God might respond in this way one. 308 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:00,800 Sometimes God allows our situation away 309 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:04,200 to worsen so that there is no question that it is God who delivers us. 310 00:16:04,366 --> 00:16:07,533 And two sometimes you already know all you need to know. 311 00:16:08,466 --> 00:16:10,400 In the moment 312 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:11,766 to explain this point. 313 00:16:11,766 --> 00:16:13,533 I believe there are times God allows our situation 314 00:16:13,533 --> 00:16:16,533 to worsen, to a point where it feels like all hope is gone, 315 00:16:16,666 --> 00:16:20,300 so that when we do see his deliverance, there's no question in there it is God. 316 00:16:20,300 --> 00:16:22,333 And God allowed his saving us. 317 00:16:22,333 --> 00:16:25,800 If we never experience hardships and always succeeded on our first try, 318 00:16:26,233 --> 00:16:28,866 it would be far more difficult to grow in reliance on God. 319 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:31,266 But when it feels like we have nothing 320 00:16:31,266 --> 00:16:34,266 and no one, and God's foundation is the only place where we can stand. 321 00:16:35,100 --> 00:16:38,100 How can we not glorify God on the other side of hardship? 322 00:16:38,433 --> 00:16:41,100 There's no room to be boastful because if you could have saved yourself, 323 00:16:41,100 --> 00:16:42,666 you would have saved yourself. 324 00:16:42,666 --> 00:16:45,666 And sometimes God is showing us that we can always save ourselves. 325 00:16:46,133 --> 00:16:48,133 And it's very, very humbling. 326 00:16:48,133 --> 00:16:50,933 When you find yourself in a position you desperately want out of. 327 00:16:50,933 --> 00:16:55,033 We have no way of getting out on your own and in these situations, 328 00:16:56,233 --> 00:16:58,333 we discover how truly reliant we are on God, 329 00:16:58,333 --> 00:17:01,333 realizing that he is our only way to deliverance. 330 00:17:01,566 --> 00:17:03,300 And it's important to rejoice in these situations. 331 00:17:03,300 --> 00:17:06,133 There's potential for growth and maturity 332 00:17:06,133 --> 00:17:09,133 in these positions that is difficult to find in many other places. 333 00:17:09,833 --> 00:17:12,300 How else are we going to learn how desperately 334 00:17:12,300 --> 00:17:15,300 we need to rely on God if we never actually rely on God? 335 00:17:15,766 --> 00:17:19,266 And how quickly do we look to other people and desires to rely on before God? 336 00:17:20,300 --> 00:17:22,966 Sometimes we need to be stripped of reliance on anything else, 337 00:17:22,966 --> 00:17:27,033 even ourselves, to see that we can and should rely on God and God alone. 338 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:30,400 And when we keep looking to God, 339 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,133 sometimes is going to have the same answer as before. 340 00:17:33,133 --> 00:17:36,133 We want more information, more assurance, more confidence. 341 00:17:36,566 --> 00:17:38,533 But God's already told us all we need to know. 342 00:17:38,533 --> 00:17:41,333 God told Moses he was going to fear the Israelites. 343 00:17:41,333 --> 00:17:44,233 Everyone Moses talked to Pharaoh and Israelites situation worsened. 344 00:17:44,233 --> 00:17:45,566 God told Moses the same thing. 345 00:17:45,566 --> 00:17:48,166 He was going to free the Israelites. 346 00:17:48,166 --> 00:17:50,733 Is God no longer trustworthy or reliable? 347 00:17:50,733 --> 00:17:54,800 When our first attempt doesn't work the way we expected, ours promises void. 348 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:57,800 When they aren't fulfilled as quickly as we think they will be. 349 00:17:57,900 --> 00:18:00,700 Some of us are looking for more answers from God, but he's already told us what 350 00:18:00,700 --> 00:18:02,033 we need to know. 351 00:18:02,033 --> 00:18:05,033 We don't see your experience, what we thought we'd see or experience, 352 00:18:05,033 --> 00:18:07,200 so we assume either we aren't doing the right thing 353 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:10,200 or we misunderstood God, or God's no longer faithful. 354 00:18:12,333 --> 00:18:14,233 And it is so much easier said than done. 355 00:18:14,233 --> 00:18:17,233 I encourage you to just stay firm in pursuing God, 356 00:18:17,233 --> 00:18:20,333 knowing that his words are true and his promises always come to pass. 357 00:18:21,566 --> 00:18:23,900 If you're following God, then just keep following him. 358 00:18:23,900 --> 00:18:27,333 You might be really close to deliverance, or you might have a long, difficult road 359 00:18:27,533 --> 00:18:28,266 road ahead of you. 360 00:18:28,266 --> 00:18:29,266 Still, still, 361 00:18:29,266 --> 00:18:30,366 if you're following him, 362 00:18:30,366 --> 00:18:33,333 then you know for certain that his promises are in your future. 363 00:18:33,333 --> 00:18:34,600 So just keep going. 364 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:37,600 Don't let go of the truths God has already told you. 365 00:18:38,866 --> 00:18:40,833 Eventually, the Israelites leave Egypt 366 00:18:40,833 --> 00:18:43,833 and make their way to Canaan, the land God was giving to them. 367 00:18:44,066 --> 00:18:47,066 Some men went into the land to explore it, and they came back, 368 00:18:47,366 --> 00:18:50,233 and reported that it was just as great as God had said it would be. 369 00:18:50,233 --> 00:18:51,866 It was flowing with milk and honey. 370 00:18:51,866 --> 00:18:54,866 There are all kinds of fruit in the land. 371 00:18:54,866 --> 00:18:57,866 However, they also reported that the people living in the land 372 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,100 were very powerful, with fortified cities. 373 00:19:01,066 --> 00:19:02,366 And a man named Caleb, 374 00:19:02,366 --> 00:19:05,833 who was with the group that explored Canaan, tried to encourage the people, 375 00:19:06,333 --> 00:19:09,333 but the others who explored the land continue to give a negative report. 376 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:14,700 In numbers, chapter 13, verses 31 to 33, we read. 377 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,300 But the men who had gone with him said, we can't attack those people. 378 00:19:18,300 --> 00:19:19,800 They're stronger than we are. 379 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,433 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. 380 00:19:23,866 --> 00:19:26,766 They said, the land we explored devours those living in it. 381 00:19:26,766 --> 00:19:29,366 All the people we saw are of great size. 382 00:19:29,366 --> 00:19:30,666 We saw the Nephilim there. 383 00:19:30,666 --> 00:19:33,600 The descendants of Anneke from the Nephilim. 384 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:35,566 We seem like grasshopper in our own eyes. 385 00:19:35,566 --> 00:19:37,500 And we look the same to them. 386 00:19:37,500 --> 00:19:37,900 Numbers. 387 00:19:37,900 --> 00:19:41,200 Chapter 14, verses 1 to 3. It continues 388 00:19:42,766 --> 00:19:45,766 that night. 389 00:19:46,766 --> 00:19:47,100 All the 390 00:19:47,100 --> 00:19:50,100 members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 391 00:19:50,233 --> 00:19:52,800 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, 392 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,466 and the whole assembly said to them, if only we had died in Egypt 393 00:19:56,700 --> 00:19:57,900 or in this wilderness, 394 00:19:57,900 --> 00:20:01,500 why is the Lord bringing us to this land, to let us fall by the sword? 395 00:20:01,833 --> 00:20:03,900 Our wives and children would be taken as plunder. 396 00:20:03,900 --> 00:20:06,900 Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt? 397 00:20:08,333 --> 00:20:10,433 What convinces the Israelites 398 00:20:10,433 --> 00:20:13,433 that they would be defeated if they tried to take Canaan? 399 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:15,566 The God changes promise. 400 00:20:15,566 --> 00:20:21,066 Was there any inconsistency between what God said and what they saw? No. 401 00:20:21,466 --> 00:20:24,600 But because of the fear they experienced from the negative report, 402 00:20:24,900 --> 00:20:26,000 the Israelites get scared. 403 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:27,833 I don't want to take Canaan anymore. 404 00:20:27,833 --> 00:20:31,500 And later verses tell us that God says the Israelites back in the wilderness 405 00:20:31,500 --> 00:20:35,400 to die, and only a select group of them get to enter the land of Canaan. 406 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:36,000 Much later. 407 00:20:37,766 --> 00:20:39,533 Now, if the Israelites had listened to God 408 00:20:39,533 --> 00:20:42,600 and attacked when told, would they have been successful? 409 00:20:43,733 --> 00:20:46,300 Of course they would have been successful, but instead 410 00:20:46,300 --> 00:20:49,200 they see something that scares them and their faith is lost. 411 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:52,200 This brings out the second point I mentioned earlier. 412 00:20:52,833 --> 00:20:55,333 Just because God promises us something doesn't 413 00:20:55,333 --> 00:20:58,333 mean the path to it will be easy or looks safe. 414 00:20:58,633 --> 00:21:01,033 Even when we know God's promises. 415 00:21:01,033 --> 00:21:05,300 It's very tempting to allow fear to keep us from living the way God calls us to. 416 00:21:06,100 --> 00:21:07,800 The Israelites were promised this land. 417 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:09,800 They knew they were promised this land. 418 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:12,800 But when they saw something that looked threatening, they wanted to bail. 419 00:21:13,466 --> 00:21:15,700 Just because it's God with God's will. 420 00:21:15,700 --> 00:21:18,700 Doesn't mean we won't be asked to face our fear and make sacrifices. 421 00:21:19,433 --> 00:21:22,200 And when we're following God, we can expect things that look scared 422 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:24,700 to be between us and God's call in our lives. 423 00:21:24,700 --> 00:21:29,300 And in those times, it can be tempting to be convinced that God isn't in control. 424 00:21:29,300 --> 00:21:33,066 Or we must have misunderstood something because certainly God won and asked me 425 00:21:33,066 --> 00:21:33,833 to face that. 426 00:21:35,100 --> 00:21:37,800 It can be tempting to think of God really wanted me to follow him in this way. 427 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:41,366 There's no way he put this immovable thing between me and this call in my life. 428 00:21:41,366 --> 00:21:44,366 But this is a fallacy because what is immovable to God? 429 00:21:44,633 --> 00:21:48,000 What is so great that God can't overcome what is so mighty 430 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,366 that he isn't already above? 431 00:21:50,366 --> 00:21:52,566 And maybe we aren't even questioning God's ability, 432 00:21:52,566 --> 00:21:55,566 the ability during those times when we start to wonder about his will. 433 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:58,500 He's got really care about me. 434 00:21:58,500 --> 00:22:00,966 Does he really see me and hear me? 435 00:22:00,966 --> 00:22:04,366 Is it really God's will that I don't live in fear or loneliness? 436 00:22:05,133 --> 00:22:07,333 I've got really met these things that I read in the Bible. 437 00:22:07,333 --> 00:22:09,833 Why does my life feel so far from his promises? 438 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:13,633 And when we're facing the seasons of life 439 00:22:13,633 --> 00:22:16,366 and maybe start wondering about these questions, it's 440 00:22:16,366 --> 00:22:19,900 important to remember that God is not limited by our limitations. 441 00:22:20,433 --> 00:22:23,533 So coming to that scary thing in front of you is not God's will for you, 442 00:22:24,333 --> 00:22:27,300 whether it's the inhabitants of Canaan or something else, 443 00:22:27,300 --> 00:22:29,066 like trying to pay bills on time, 444 00:22:29,066 --> 00:22:32,400 or struggling in relationship with a loved one, or being let go at work. 445 00:22:32,633 --> 00:22:35,000 Our God is greater than it. 446 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,100 And where's the the real risk 447 00:22:37,100 --> 00:22:40,700 where the Israelites truly in danger to losing to those in Canaan? 448 00:22:41,700 --> 00:22:44,100 No, they weren't, but God. 449 00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:47,100 God wasn't going to fail at keeping his promise. 450 00:22:47,166 --> 00:22:49,466 There wasn't truly a risk of being defeated. 451 00:22:49,466 --> 00:22:52,133 What they saw made them think that there was. 452 00:22:52,133 --> 00:22:53,100 And the same applies to us. 453 00:22:53,100 --> 00:22:55,733 If we're pursuing God and serving God. 454 00:22:55,733 --> 00:22:57,700 Then what's the real risk? 455 00:22:57,700 --> 00:22:58,933 We might not get what we want 456 00:22:58,933 --> 00:23:01,933 when we want them, and there's certainly going to be hardships along the way. 457 00:23:02,266 --> 00:23:04,433 But if we're living for God, then glorifying him 458 00:23:04,433 --> 00:23:07,433 should be at the heart of all that we do anyways. 459 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:09,966 Who cares if we don't get what we want, 460 00:23:09,966 --> 00:23:13,300 or if we face hardships because we get to glorify God in those times too? 461 00:23:13,333 --> 00:23:14,400 So mission accomplished. 462 00:23:15,833 --> 00:23:18,100 We never have to doubt God's promises. 463 00:23:18,100 --> 00:23:20,400 It might not look the most hopeful at times, 464 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,233 but you won't be let down by the end of it. 465 00:23:23,233 --> 00:23:25,133 Some of us are in a season of life that we don't see 466 00:23:25,133 --> 00:23:28,133 any way out of, and it feels like we're at the end of the road. 467 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:29,700 It's not. 468 00:23:29,700 --> 00:23:33,066 God is greater than what you're facing, and his promises are still true. 469 00:23:34,100 --> 00:23:36,600 God doesn't make promises to not keep them. 470 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,700 Choose to keep hope in God and go take the promised Land. 471 00:23:40,366 --> 00:23:42,233 Whatever you're facing will not win. 472 00:23:42,233 --> 00:23:44,200 It's already been decided. 473 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:46,300 Some of us aren't in that season of feeling hopeless yet, 474 00:23:46,300 --> 00:23:48,200 but it's likely to come. 475 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:49,800 And when you find yourself in that season, 476 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,866 remember God is not limited by your limitations. 477 00:23:53,766 --> 00:23:56,133 You may think, there's no way I have what it takes to face this, 478 00:23:56,133 --> 00:23:58,400 and you're probably right. You don't. 479 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:00,166 We all have shortcomings, and if we went through 480 00:24:00,166 --> 00:24:02,966 our challenges on our own, we would definitely fail. 481 00:24:02,966 --> 00:24:04,266 We don't need to go through it alone. 482 00:24:05,233 --> 00:24:07,466 Just like you've heard it said, don't bring a knife to a gunfight. 483 00:24:07,466 --> 00:24:10,333 Don't bring just yourself to a God. Fight. 484 00:24:10,333 --> 00:24:13,166 You need God on your side and with him on your side. 485 00:24:13,166 --> 00:24:16,166 There's no way you're going to come up short. 486 00:24:16,766 --> 00:24:18,400 So the Israelites go back into the wilderness 487 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:21,400 for 40 years before making their way back to Canaan. 488 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:26,066 And the second time around in Deuteronomy, Moses is recalling the Israelites 489 00:24:26,066 --> 00:24:29,066 journey, giving instructions before they take Promised Land. 490 00:24:30,566 --> 00:24:33,566 In Deuteronomy chapter two, verses 4 to 6, 491 00:24:33,966 --> 00:24:36,966 it's written what God told Moses to tell the Israelites. 492 00:24:37,100 --> 00:24:40,200 Give the people these orders you're about to pass through the territory 493 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,200 of your relatives, the descendants of Esau who live in Seir. 494 00:24:43,900 --> 00:24:46,000 There will be afraid of you, but be very careful. 495 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:48,100 Do not provoke them to war. 496 00:24:48,100 --> 00:24:50,100 I will not give you any of their land. 497 00:24:50,100 --> 00:24:52,200 Not even enough to put your foot on. 498 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,900 I have given Esau the whole country of Seir as his own. 499 00:24:56,100 --> 00:24:56,966 You have to pay them 500 00:24:56,966 --> 00:24:59,966 in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink. 501 00:25:00,700 --> 00:25:03,300 Recalling back to the two when the Israelites were on the move 502 00:25:03,300 --> 00:25:04,333 and passing through this land, 503 00:25:04,333 --> 00:25:08,400 God gave them a clear instruction, quote do not provoke them to war. 504 00:25:08,900 --> 00:25:11,900 This happens again several verses later in a different land. 505 00:25:12,766 --> 00:25:14,400 You have to imagine what the Israelites are saying. 506 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,533 They've been traveling in the desert for a long, long time. 507 00:25:19,500 --> 00:25:21,633 They know that God has promised them land, 508 00:25:21,633 --> 00:25:24,233 and they see land that looks pretty attainable to them. 509 00:25:24,233 --> 00:25:27,000 But God commands them not to take it. 510 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:28,066 We know from verse four that 511 00:25:28,066 --> 00:25:31,066 the inhabitants of the land are afraid of the Israelites. 512 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,533 Which leads me to believe that the land, at least to the Israel Israelites, appears 513 00:25:34,533 --> 00:25:38,333 like it'd be pretty easily attainable, that they could get it 514 00:25:38,333 --> 00:25:39,833 with relatively little difficulty. 515 00:25:40,933 --> 00:25:41,100 And I 516 00:25:41,100 --> 00:25:44,100 have to imagine that they're ready to be settled into rest. 517 00:25:44,166 --> 00:25:47,300 And sure, this isn't the land God promised, but in the moment 518 00:25:47,333 --> 00:25:50,333 it must have looked pretty enticing to them. 519 00:25:50,866 --> 00:25:53,866 And yet God commands them not to take it. 520 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:57,733 You may now or may later find yourself in a season 521 00:25:57,733 --> 00:26:00,733 where everyone around you seems to have exactly what you want. 522 00:26:01,266 --> 00:26:03,700 Not only that, but everyone around you 523 00:26:03,700 --> 00:26:06,733 seems to have what God promised you, but not yet given you. 524 00:26:07,666 --> 00:26:10,666 Everyone else has a job they love, and you're stuck at the job 525 00:26:10,700 --> 00:26:13,200 that you despise and you're still looking for work. 526 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:14,933 Everyone else has the perfect family 527 00:26:14,933 --> 00:26:18,066 or spouse, and you seem to only fight with your family or significant other. 528 00:26:18,866 --> 00:26:21,900 Everyone else is taking vacations, having these incredible experiences, 529 00:26:22,100 --> 00:26:24,033 and you feel like you're struggling just to make ends meet. 530 00:26:25,433 --> 00:26:26,100 Maybe you feel 531 00:26:26,100 --> 00:26:29,100 like you're following God the way he's called you to follow him, 532 00:26:29,133 --> 00:26:32,133 but you still aren't experiencing his promises in your life. 533 00:26:32,500 --> 00:26:35,600 And what can make this so even more frustrating is feeling 534 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:37,566 like you're doing what you should be doing. 535 00:26:37,566 --> 00:26:40,566 Seeing others doing what they shouldn't be doing, 536 00:26:40,733 --> 00:26:43,733 but still feeling like they're in a place in life that you want to be. 537 00:26:44,966 --> 00:26:46,866 Who might see this and think, I was this right? 538 00:26:46,866 --> 00:26:48,833 God, I'm living my life for you. 539 00:26:48,833 --> 00:26:51,300 Those people don't seem to be following you at all, 540 00:26:51,300 --> 00:26:53,233 and yet they seem to have everything I want. 541 00:26:53,233 --> 00:26:54,466 Not only what I want. 542 00:26:54,466 --> 00:26:57,300 The things I thought I was supposed to trust you for. 543 00:26:57,300 --> 00:26:59,833 If they have all this and they don't seem to be following you, 544 00:26:59,833 --> 00:27:01,066 then what am I doing? 545 00:27:01,066 --> 00:27:04,500 I might as well stop inconveniencing myself and go get what I want my way. 546 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:09,400 Brings us to the third point from before 547 00:27:09,500 --> 00:27:13,633 I can trust God when it appears everyone but me is experiencing God's promises. 548 00:27:14,500 --> 00:27:17,500 When we look around and see everyone living the life we want, 549 00:27:17,900 --> 00:27:20,433 how should we respond? 550 00:27:20,433 --> 00:27:20,866 What are you? 551 00:27:20,866 --> 00:27:23,933 What are you willing to give up God's plan or your desires? 552 00:27:24,433 --> 00:27:27,433 It's not bad to have these desires and to see what others want 553 00:27:27,666 --> 00:27:29,500 and want to have the same. 554 00:27:29,500 --> 00:27:31,666 But what are you willing to give up for it? 555 00:27:31,666 --> 00:27:34,666 God has a plan that is meant only for his timing. 556 00:27:34,766 --> 00:27:37,433 It may or may not look like what you want, 557 00:27:37,433 --> 00:27:40,500 but is it worth giving up for your plan as fulfilling God's 558 00:27:40,500 --> 00:27:44,800 promises on your life worth passing on to take matters into your own hands? 559 00:27:45,900 --> 00:27:46,733 I think it's obvious these 560 00:27:46,733 --> 00:27:50,066 are rhetorical questions with answers we know we should answer respond with. 561 00:27:50,366 --> 00:27:51,333 But how do we live that out? 562 00:27:51,333 --> 00:27:55,466 What does it look like submitting these desires to God and waiting for his timing? 563 00:27:56,666 --> 00:27:59,666 One way we do this by trusting in the Holy Spirit. 564 00:27:59,833 --> 00:28:02,333 If you haven't accepted Jesus into your heart 565 00:28:02,333 --> 00:28:05,266 and receive the Holy Spirit yet, then that needs to take place first. 566 00:28:05,266 --> 00:28:08,266 There are several staff members who would love to talk you through that, 567 00:28:08,566 --> 00:28:10,066 because you need to have the Holy Spirit in you 568 00:28:10,066 --> 00:28:12,233 before you can listen to the spirit in your heart. 569 00:28:12,233 --> 00:28:15,233 But for those who have, the spirit isn't there for us to ignore. 570 00:28:16,233 --> 00:28:18,866 Some of us might know deep down there's a course of action 571 00:28:18,866 --> 00:28:21,966 we're being called to take, but for whatever reason, we haven't. 572 00:28:23,033 --> 00:28:25,600 Maybe we've tried to follow the spirit before. 573 00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:27,433 Things didn't work out the way we thought they would, 574 00:28:27,433 --> 00:28:30,100 so we don't really see the point in trying again. 575 00:28:30,100 --> 00:28:33,533 Maybe we feel like we'll be led people down if we make the decisions. 576 00:28:33,533 --> 00:28:36,533 We feel the Spirit's calling us to make. 577 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:39,600 Maybe we're afraid to follow where the Spirit's leading us. 578 00:28:40,933 --> 00:28:43,766 One way we submit our desires to to God, 579 00:28:43,766 --> 00:28:46,800 choosing to trust him when it feels like everyone else has it figured out but 580 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,400 us, is by following the spirit wherever the Spirit's guiding you. 581 00:28:51,266 --> 00:28:54,266 Don't allow whatever's happening. 582 00:28:54,966 --> 00:28:57,033 Don't allow whatever's stopping you to stop you 583 00:28:57,033 --> 00:28:59,566 any more from following the spirit. 584 00:28:59,566 --> 00:29:02,000 Some of us might feel willing to follow spirit anywhere. 585 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:05,000 We just don't feel a call in any particular direction. 586 00:29:05,633 --> 00:29:06,900 How am I supposed to follow the spirit 587 00:29:06,900 --> 00:29:09,400 if I don't know where the spirit's leading me? 588 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,566 If you don't feel the spirit leading you and support you 589 00:29:11,566 --> 00:29:14,966 to make sure you're seeking the Spirit's leadership, pursue God. 590 00:29:15,300 --> 00:29:16,066 Read his word. 591 00:29:16,066 --> 00:29:18,266 Spend time meditating in the Bible. 592 00:29:18,266 --> 00:29:20,200 Contemplate in what you're reading. 593 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:20,833 Serve God. 594 00:29:20,833 --> 00:29:23,433 Be involved in church in any capacity. 595 00:29:23,433 --> 00:29:24,900 Pray humbly. 596 00:29:24,900 --> 00:29:28,100 Ask God to guide you, opening your heart and your eyes and your ears 597 00:29:29,366 --> 00:29:31,033 to his to his plan for you. 598 00:29:31,033 --> 00:29:34,033 Not so that you'll just have confidence in knowing what your future holds, 599 00:29:34,233 --> 00:29:37,233 but so that you can serve him in the ways he's calling you to serve him. 600 00:29:37,966 --> 00:29:40,966 Pray not just for answers, but for the strength and the courage 601 00:29:41,133 --> 00:29:43,333 to follow in the spirit. Guide you. 602 00:29:43,333 --> 00:29:46,400 And if you still don't feel the spirit directing you, then be patient. 603 00:29:47,100 --> 00:29:48,266 Wait. 604 00:29:48,266 --> 00:29:52,600 It honors God to wait until you're led by the spirit to pursue your desires. 605 00:29:53,366 --> 00:29:56,333 In other words, we choose to not pursue our desires 606 00:29:56,333 --> 00:29:59,333 when the spirit has not yet led us to that fulfillment. 607 00:29:59,633 --> 00:30:01,500 We want to pursue something good. 608 00:30:01,500 --> 00:30:04,800 But if we pursue because we get impatient, we want what we want, regardless 609 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:06,400 of what the Spirit's guiding us. 610 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:07,933 We're just setting ourselves up for failure. 611 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,000 It is a blessing to submit a longing desire to God 612 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:15,000 by not pursuing it until led by the spirit to do so. 613 00:30:16,266 --> 00:30:18,166 And then it can be so difficult. 614 00:30:18,166 --> 00:30:21,100 Seeing everyone around you look like they have their lives figured out, 615 00:30:21,100 --> 00:30:23,466 and you're struggling to make it through the day. 616 00:30:23,466 --> 00:30:24,800 But this is my encouragement to you. 617 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:27,366 Keep submitting to God. 618 00:30:27,366 --> 00:30:27,900 You've heard it. 619 00:30:27,900 --> 00:30:30,900 You know it. Make the choice to believe it. 620 00:30:31,233 --> 00:30:35,066 Giving up on God's plan because you want what you want now is not worth it. 621 00:30:36,166 --> 00:30:37,033 Answered God's call. 622 00:30:37,033 --> 00:30:40,033 And serving and honoring him is. 623 00:30:40,433 --> 00:30:42,433 So before the Israelites take the Promised Land, 624 00:30:42,433 --> 00:30:45,433 Moses has a lot of instructions and commands for them. 625 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:49,200 God tells Moses that the Israelites will soon rebel against God once they are 626 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:50,800 in the Promised Land. 627 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:53,600 Deuteronomy 3120 reads, 628 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:55,000 when I have brought them into the land 629 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:58,600 flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on earth to their ancestors, 630 00:30:59,066 --> 00:31:02,366 and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will, they will turn 631 00:31:02,366 --> 00:31:05,766 to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. 632 00:31:08,033 --> 00:31:09,933 It may or may not feel like it now, but if you're following 633 00:31:09,933 --> 00:31:13,466 and submitting to God, his promises will be fulfilled in your life. 634 00:31:13,966 --> 00:31:17,300 And when they are, continue to follow and submit to God. 635 00:31:17,733 --> 00:31:20,300 We don't follow him depending on our circumstances. 636 00:31:20,300 --> 00:31:23,400 We don't follow him only when we don't see any other way forward. 637 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:25,533 We follow God because he deserves it. 638 00:31:25,533 --> 00:31:27,400 And we're called to 639 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:29,800 because God is not a means to an end. 640 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:32,233 God is the whole purpose. 641 00:31:32,233 --> 00:31:35,700 God deserves our honor and obedience at all times in every scenario. 642 00:31:36,533 --> 00:31:39,533 Decide now that when God delivers 643 00:31:39,533 --> 00:31:42,933 you, you're going to continue to pursue him the way you pursued them. 644 00:31:43,366 --> 00:31:45,866 When you felt like he was your only option. 645 00:31:45,866 --> 00:31:49,166 We plead desperately to God when we're convinced he's the only way out, 646 00:31:49,766 --> 00:31:53,100 but we're called to cling just as desperately to him with just 647 00:31:53,100 --> 00:31:54,600 as much fervor all the time. 648 00:31:55,933 --> 00:31:57,900 This might get difficult when we see God's deliverance, 649 00:31:57,900 --> 00:32:00,266 and we feel like we have it all figured out now, 650 00:32:00,266 --> 00:32:01,366 and we start giving our attention 651 00:32:01,366 --> 00:32:04,366 to God's many blessings rather than to God Himself. 652 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:08,400 Don't let yourself get distracted by the from the new ways 653 00:32:08,500 --> 00:32:11,533 that God's calling you to live for him in your new circumstance. 654 00:32:12,433 --> 00:32:15,466 Use those blessings as a reminder, never forgetting from who they came. 655 00:32:16,566 --> 00:32:19,066 We should not serve God just to get to a certain point in life. 656 00:32:19,066 --> 00:32:23,833 We should serve God and then serve God some more and then keep serving God. 657 00:32:24,366 --> 00:32:27,300 The God that delivered the Israelites from Egypt into the Promised Land. 658 00:32:27,300 --> 00:32:30,300 The same God wants to deliver you right now. 659 00:32:30,933 --> 00:32:33,133 Allow him to deliver you by serving 660 00:32:33,133 --> 00:32:36,200 and honoring him in the wilderness and in the Promised Land. 661 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:39,600 Serve God in your hopelessness and in your joy. 662 00:32:39,933 --> 00:32:40,766 Serve God. 663 00:32:42,133 --> 00:32:43,233 Before wrapping up this morning. 664 00:32:43,233 --> 00:32:45,266 I want to suggest a practical way. 665 00:32:45,266 --> 00:32:47,500 I believe we can keep hope in God's promises. 666 00:32:47,500 --> 00:32:52,233 Exodus chapter 16, verse 32 reads, this is what the Lord has commanded. 667 00:32:52,233 --> 00:32:55,700 Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, 668 00:32:55,700 --> 00:32:59,133 so that they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness. 669 00:32:59,133 --> 00:33:01,733 When I brought you out of Egypt. 670 00:33:01,733 --> 00:33:04,733 I believe imitating what the Israelites are commanded to do here. 671 00:33:04,833 --> 00:33:06,200 Helps keep us encouraged 672 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,266 during the season of the life where we don't actively see God working. 673 00:33:10,533 --> 00:33:13,200 When times get tough and you aren't sure how you're going to make it through, 674 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:17,066 it is vital to remember how God has already been faithful to you. 675 00:33:17,933 --> 00:33:20,266 God is unchanging is the same God yesterday 676 00:33:20,266 --> 00:33:22,466 as he is today, as he will be tomorrow. 677 00:33:22,466 --> 00:33:24,533 The same God that rescued you last time. 678 00:33:24,533 --> 00:33:25,866 The same God that's going to rescue you 679 00:33:25,866 --> 00:33:27,900 this time wasn't too great for him last time. 680 00:33:27,900 --> 00:33:29,233 Not too great for him this time. 681 00:33:30,266 --> 00:33:30,600 We can 682 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:33,766 remember God's faithfulness a number of different ways, 683 00:33:33,766 --> 00:33:38,400 whether it's writing down, pen to paper, how God has saved you before. 684 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:42,566 It's taking a picture as something that reminds you that God brought you out, 685 00:33:43,466 --> 00:33:46,700 or keeping a memento, a physical object, as a reminder that we can trust God. 686 00:33:46,700 --> 00:33:49,300 We need some way to remember God's faithfulness. 687 00:33:49,300 --> 00:33:51,233 And he keeps his promises. 688 00:33:51,233 --> 00:33:54,300 And when we inevitably fall on hard times, and it's difficult 689 00:33:54,300 --> 00:33:56,633 to see the light at the end of the tunnel, 690 00:33:56,633 --> 00:34:00,233 we can look to our keepsake, clinging to the memories of God's deliverance, 691 00:34:00,233 --> 00:34:03,233 knowing that it's only a matter of time until he does it again. 692 00:34:04,433 --> 00:34:08,000 So as we go into this holiday season, I encourage you to keep hope in God, 693 00:34:08,700 --> 00:34:11,600 keep hope and God's promise of forgiveness, his promise of love, 694 00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:15,933 his promise of mercy and grace and protection, his promise of salvation. 695 00:34:16,500 --> 00:34:19,433 They're all true and they're all worth believing in. 696 00:34:19,433 --> 00:34:22,433 And they're all revealed so powerfully in God Greatest Promise, which 697 00:34:22,433 --> 00:34:23,400 is the Christmas story. 698 00:34:25,300 --> 00:34:28,300 So now, as you please, join me in prayer. 699 00:34:29,433 --> 00:34:32,633 If you've never accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, I invite you 700 00:34:32,866 --> 00:34:36,600 in the quietness of your heart to accept God's greatest gift to us. 701 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:39,000 Revealed in the Christmas story. 702 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,400 There's no singular way of doing this, but in your own words. 703 00:34:43,100 --> 00:34:46,766 Admit to God that you have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. 704 00:34:47,900 --> 00:34:50,300 Accept the free gift 705 00:34:50,300 --> 00:34:55,133 Jesus has offered us by willingly being sacrificed on the cross and rising. 706 00:34:55,133 --> 00:34:57,000 Three days later, 707 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:00,600 acknowledging that he is our only way into heaven, professing 708 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:04,966 that our salvation is through God's mercy and grace, independent 709 00:35:05,433 --> 00:35:08,433 from our own righteousness in this world. 710 00:35:08,933 --> 00:35:12,066 Heavenly father, I thank you for sending your Son Jesus to us. 711 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:16,800 I thank you for your unconditional, never ending love and forgiveness in our lives. 712 00:35:17,900 --> 00:35:18,900 I thank you for your 713 00:35:18,900 --> 00:35:21,933 faithfulness that we might always have hope in your promises. 714 00:35:23,066 --> 00:35:25,200 I thank you that we are entering the season of the year 715 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,200 where we take extra time to remember the birth of Jesus 716 00:35:28,366 --> 00:35:31,433 and all the promises you kept and fulfilled through his life and death. 717 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:36,300 I pray that we would choose to believe your words regardless of our circumstance. 718 00:35:37,066 --> 00:35:40,266 I pray that we would wait for your divine timing in our lives, 719 00:35:40,833 --> 00:35:43,500 that we would not be deterred from living for you 720 00:35:43,500 --> 00:35:46,500 in the face of fear or impatience or frustration. 721 00:35:47,500 --> 00:35:50,500 I thank you that you are with us and that you will always be with us. 722 00:35:50,566 --> 00:35:53,566 I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen. 723 00:36:04,166 --> 00:36:06,400 If you made the decision to accept Jesus in your heart 724 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:08,300 for the first time today, we would love to know. 725 00:36:08,300 --> 00:36:09,066 That's a decision 726 00:36:09,066 --> 00:36:13,366 that is worth celebrating, that needs to be celebrated and and shared. 727 00:36:14,500 --> 00:36:15,666 So please find someone on staff. 728 00:36:15,666 --> 00:36:18,366 They would love to talk to you if you didn't make that decision. 729 00:36:18,366 --> 00:36:21,366 But you're still curious about what it looks like, 730 00:36:21,533 --> 00:36:24,533 accepting Jesus into your life and living out your faith. 731 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:26,766 Please also find someone on staff as well. 732 00:36:26,766 --> 00:36:29,766 We have flips that are eager to talk to you about Jesus. 733 00:36:30,233 --> 00:36:32,766 Thank you for being with us today and I hope you come back next week. 734 00:36:32,766 --> 00:36:34,566 As Pastor Carl continues 735 00:36:34,566 --> 00:36:37,666 the exploring the promise of the Christmas story at 9 or 1030. 736 00:36:38,033 --> 00:36:39,100 And we're going to close with worship.