1 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,480 Well, as the girls and boys go out and look at their activities 2 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,360 for this morning, we're turning to Exodus chapter 5 and looking 3 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,480 at this chapter that we read a few minutes ago. 4 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,570 Now, I'm sure, like me, over the years, you've seen the clips 5 00:00:27,570 --> 00:00:30,970 that are shown on TV as part of the Festival of Remembrance on 6 00:00:30,970 --> 00:00:35,050 that Saturday evening before Remembrance Day from the Royal Albert 7 00:00:35,050 --> 00:00:35,290 Hall. 8 00:00:35,290 --> 00:00:39,290 Or even the coverage, if you were like my father and you had to 9 00:00:39,290 --> 00:00:42,410 record it because obviously there was no iplayer and you'd rewind 10 00:00:42,410 --> 00:00:44,450 it and watch it back after you got home from church. 11 00:00:44,450 --> 00:00:45,810 The coverage of the Cenotaph. 12 00:00:46,690 --> 00:00:51,050 And you've seen the clips of veterans returning to the battlefields 13 00:00:51,050 --> 00:00:53,890 and Commonwealth war graves in France and North Africa. 14 00:00:53,890 --> 00:00:58,790 This is actually the war grave from Tripoli in North Africa. 15 00:00:59,990 --> 00:01:04,990 And maybe more so when I was younger, we saw former soldiers returning 16 00:01:04,990 --> 00:01:08,230 for the first time, maybe the first opportunity they had to get 17 00:01:08,230 --> 00:01:11,670 back because of their age or circumstances. 18 00:01:12,790 --> 00:01:16,270 But there's always a more poignant moment whenever you learned 19 00:01:16,270 --> 00:01:20,190 of those who were making the journey for the last time, some of 20 00:01:20,190 --> 00:01:24,850 whom who had been going every year since the 1950s to remember 21 00:01:24,850 --> 00:01:27,370 those who had fallen alongside them. 22 00:01:29,050 --> 00:01:31,890 And they would normally go with a group of their comrades and 23 00:01:31,890 --> 00:01:35,370 they would lay a wreath in memory of those who didn't make it 24 00:01:35,370 --> 00:01:35,690 home. 25 00:01:36,250 --> 00:01:40,370 And you would see the emotion as the story of the battle would 26 00:01:40,370 --> 00:01:43,850 be retold and what each man did for the other. 27 00:01:46,410 --> 00:01:52,820 There were often places that people didn't want to go to because 28 00:01:52,980 --> 00:01:57,780 of the memories, but out of duty and respect for the fallen, 29 00:01:58,260 --> 00:02:01,460 they made the journey to honor their memory. 30 00:02:02,900 --> 00:02:07,420 As we get into Exodus 5, we see that Moses now has returned to 31 00:02:07,420 --> 00:02:09,140 Egypt at the command of the Lord. 32 00:02:09,140 --> 00:02:13,340 But it is a journey for him that will now take him to Pharaoh. 33 00:02:13,340 --> 00:02:17,160 And it is one full of emotion for him, because remember, this is 34 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:21,360 a man who didn't want to return home because of the fear of 35 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:26,320 rejection by the people and having to stand up to the Pharaoh, 36 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:28,240 the most powerful man in the world. 37 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:33,200 But he's gone with the assurance that the Lord will be with 38 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:33,520 him. 39 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,680 And the Lord has given him, Aaron, to speak for him. 40 00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:41,480 And so a journey has to be made, a difficult one, a hard one, 41 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:42,400 a one of memory. 42 00:02:43,660 --> 00:02:47,820 But what's different from Moses is it's one of great hope in 43 00:02:47,820 --> 00:02:48,860 what the Lord will do. 44 00:02:49,580 --> 00:02:53,460 And so as we begin this chapter, we see these two brothers 45 00:02:53,460 --> 00:02:56,300 in the throne room of Pharaoh's palace, because verse one 46 00:02:56,460 --> 00:03:01,860 tells us afterward, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, this 47 00:03:01,860 --> 00:03:07,340 is what the Lord, the God of Israel, let my people go so that 48 00:03:07,340 --> 00:03:09,020 they may hold a festival to me. 49 00:03:09,150 --> 00:03:14,100 And in the desert, it's really quite a simple request for them, 50 00:03:14,100 --> 00:03:15,140 for him, isn't it? 51 00:03:15,460 --> 00:03:18,500 Let the people go into the desert to worship God. 52 00:03:18,980 --> 00:03:22,300 Here in verse one, it's called a festival, or better way of understanding, 53 00:03:22,300 --> 00:03:23,380 it's a communal feast. 54 00:03:24,420 --> 00:03:26,900 And with it being in the wilderness, it was therefore outside 55 00:03:27,060 --> 00:03:28,020 of Egypt. 56 00:03:28,580 --> 00:03:32,740 Now this might have got Pharaoh's senses picked up because 57 00:03:32,740 --> 00:03:36,420 it signals to him that the end goal is much more. 58 00:03:37,070 --> 00:03:40,190 It is a permanent departure from Egypt, as the people would go 59 00:03:40,190 --> 00:03:43,150 beyond the borders of Egypt. 60 00:03:43,630 --> 00:03:47,870 And so by giving Pharaoh a command, let my people go, the Lord 61 00:03:47,870 --> 00:03:51,390 makes it clear that he is the king, not Pharaoh. 62 00:03:51,630 --> 00:03:54,270 And by calling Israel his people, he makes clear that they 63 00:03:54,270 --> 00:03:57,230 belong to him and not to Pharaoh. 64 00:03:58,750 --> 00:04:02,670 And Pharaoh's response should be no surprise to us in verse two, 65 00:04:02,670 --> 00:04:05,070 because Pharaoh said, who is the Lord? 66 00:04:05,570 --> 00:04:07,970 That I should obey him and let Israel go. 67 00:04:08,770 --> 00:04:13,330 I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go. 68 00:04:14,370 --> 00:04:18,210 Now this is a reply full of sarcasm from the most powerful man 69 00:04:18,210 --> 00:04:18,770 in the world. 70 00:04:19,410 --> 00:04:23,210 Of course, Pharaoh knows the God of the children of Israel, the 71 00:04:23,210 --> 00:04:24,210 God that they worship. 72 00:04:25,010 --> 00:04:29,290 But in this culture, to know someone means that you accept their 73 00:04:29,290 --> 00:04:29,890 authority. 74 00:04:30,130 --> 00:04:33,530 And Pharaoh will not accept the authority of the one true God 75 00:04:33,530 --> 00:04:35,960 because he sees himself as divine. 76 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:39,200 He himself is seen and worshipped as a God. 77 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:42,280 But Moses and Aaron try again. 78 00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:45,640 And in verse three we're told that they asked Pharaoh to let them 79 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:47,520 go for the three day journey. 80 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:52,800 But if Pharaoh fails to give their request, then he and Egypt 81 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:54,560 may suffer. 82 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,080 So we're already getting a foreshadowing of what is to come 83 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,200 because of remember that hardened heart that that the Lord 84 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:04,800 has given to Pharaoh. 85 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:12,840 Well, this has now bearing on Pharaoh more, and he refuses even 86 00:05:12,840 --> 00:05:13,200 more. 87 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:17,000 He is truly the world's superpower and believes that he can 88 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:19,280 withstand anything that comes his way. 89 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:23,000 And in verse five, it sets the scene, the next scene for us, of 90 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:23,920 what's going to happen. 91 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:28,000 Pharaoh said, look, the people of the land are now numerous and 92 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:29,760 you're stopping them from working. 93 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,600 Now, whether Pharaoh was genuine in his reasoning about the 94 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:38,520 work of the people, or simply to reply with his own threat, well, 95 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:41,120 it's irrelevant of why he did it, because he forces the people 96 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:42,200 to work harder. 97 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:46,720 The state of Egypt is no longer going to provide straw for 98 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:47,800 making the bricks. 99 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:53,400 That straw was needed as these great massive buildings were constructed 100 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,080 right across the land. 101 00:05:56,690 --> 00:06:00,490 And you see, the catch is that the same quota of bricks are to be 102 00:06:00,490 --> 00:06:00,770 made. 103 00:06:01,330 --> 00:06:05,050 Straw worked as an adhesive and helped the bricks maintain their 104 00:06:05,050 --> 00:06:05,490 shape. 105 00:06:05,730 --> 00:06:07,810 And so it is an essential part of the process. 106 00:06:08,050 --> 00:06:09,890 And now they would have to find it themselves. 107 00:06:09,890 --> 00:06:13,930 And the slave drivers were not to listen to the complaints of the 108 00:06:13,930 --> 00:06:14,210 people. 109 00:06:16,290 --> 00:06:22,700 Well, the taskmasters and the foreman relay Pharaoh's command of 110 00:06:22,700 --> 00:06:23,100 the people. 111 00:06:23,740 --> 00:06:26,220 And the people face an impossible task. 112 00:06:26,700 --> 00:06:29,780 Not only do they have to spend time traveling to get straw, but 113 00:06:29,780 --> 00:06:33,540 the only straw they can find is scraps of stubble from harvested 114 00:06:33,540 --> 00:06:36,620 fields which is painstakingly slow to gather. 115 00:06:37,180 --> 00:06:41,140 But their Egyptian taskmasters are undeterred because urgently they're 116 00:06:41,140 --> 00:06:45,340 demanding that the same quota of bricks be made each day, telling 117 00:06:45,340 --> 00:06:50,240 them in verse 13, complete the work required of you for each day, 118 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:52,320 just as when you had straw. 119 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:54,720 Failure to comply. 120 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:58,600 Well, that led to the beating of the Israelite foreman when the 121 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:02,880 impossible task was not achieved, and ridiculously asking 122 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:07,200 why the Israelites have slowed down on the job. 123 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:13,330 This was true authoritarian rule over God's people. 124 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:13,800 People. 125 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:17,400 And they've had enough. 126 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,240 Quite literally as it comes to them, they've had enough because 127 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,560 they take matters into their own hands to appeal to Pharaoh. 128 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:25,320 But Pharaoh doesn't listen. 129 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,320 Their plea to Pharaoh in verse 16 is a humble plea. 130 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:33,880 Calling themselves his servants, they're honest and they 131 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:36,480 make the injustice very clear before him. 132 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:39,760 But Pharaoh continues in his well, there's only one word for him, 133 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:40,680 he's obstinate. 134 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,000 Its obstinate cruelty towards them, calling them here again lazy 135 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,080 and doubling down on his unjust demand for them. 136 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:53,720 Verse 19 tells us of the realization that falls on the Israelite 137 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:54,240 foreman. 138 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:56,720 They realize that they're in deep trouble. 139 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:02,800 Pharaoh isn't relenting, and they know just how hard the work 140 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:03,280 is. 141 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:08,530 And so as they leave the presence of Pharaoh, they find Moses 142 00:08:08,530 --> 00:08:11,970 and Aaron waiting for them, most likely to hear how the meeting 143 00:08:11,970 --> 00:08:12,650 had gone. 144 00:08:13,770 --> 00:08:16,810 But the response is not what the brothers perhaps expect. 145 00:08:17,770 --> 00:08:21,210 And you know, it plays into the hands of a very shrewd Pharaoh, 146 00:08:21,610 --> 00:08:26,290 because verse 21 tells us, May the Lord look upon you, they say 147 00:08:26,290 --> 00:08:28,250 to Moses and Aaron, and judge you. 148 00:08:28,970 --> 00:08:33,450 You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have 149 00:08:33,450 --> 00:08:35,330 put a sword in their hand to kill us. 150 00:08:38,050 --> 00:08:40,930 What a charge against Moses and Aaron. 151 00:08:41,170 --> 00:08:43,450 It's not what they were expecting, certainly Moses, he's 152 00:08:43,450 --> 00:08:44,450 here to rescue them. 153 00:08:44,770 --> 00:08:48,090 And as we come to his prayer before God, in a few moments we'll 154 00:08:48,090 --> 00:08:51,330 see it's not what he expected because the people here are blaming 155 00:08:51,330 --> 00:08:55,050 Moses and Aaron for the impossible situation here they are 156 00:08:55,050 --> 00:08:58,250 asking the Lord himself to bring his justice to bear against 157 00:08:58,250 --> 00:09:01,550 them for putting the Israelites in Such a dire situation, 158 00:09:04,670 --> 00:09:07,390 there's really, at this point, very little hope for anyone. 159 00:09:08,110 --> 00:09:11,710 There's no hope for the people because of the taskmasters that are 160 00:09:11,710 --> 00:09:13,150 making them work harder. 161 00:09:13,630 --> 00:09:16,110 And there's no hope for Moses because these are the people who 162 00:09:16,110 --> 00:09:17,190 are supposed to be behind him. 163 00:09:17,190 --> 00:09:20,390 Because if he's going to lead them out, well, he needs people to 164 00:09:20,390 --> 00:09:20,670 follow. 165 00:09:21,870 --> 00:09:23,310 And so what does Moses do? 166 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,480 Well, Moses has to make another journey. 167 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:31,920 This journey, it's not back to Midian, and it's certainly a lot 168 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:34,200 shorter than it was from Midian to Egypt. 169 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:40,040 He has fewer miles to travel, because this journey is about returning 170 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:41,160 to the Lord. 171 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:47,000 But it's a journey that is just as emotional for Moses as the 172 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,840 first verse 22 tells us. 173 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:55,840 Moses returned to the Lord and said, o Lord, why have you brought 174 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:57,240 trouble upon this people? 175 00:09:57,560 --> 00:09:59,960 Is this why you sent me? 176 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:05,080 So even now, Moses is starting to question, lord, why have you sent 177 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:05,400 me? 178 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:09,480 I thought it was for a rescue, but the people are only being punished 179 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:09,760 more. 180 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:11,720 Is this the reason why you sent me? 181 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:17,400 Moses questioning of the Lord tells us just how frustrated he is 182 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:18,920 with the whole situation. 183 00:10:20,070 --> 00:10:24,870 He thought he was the rescuer of the people, and instead it was 184 00:10:24,950 --> 00:10:28,790 just as he had thought that they would reject him. 185 00:10:29,750 --> 00:10:34,070 And more than rejection, they blame him for what is happening. 186 00:10:34,790 --> 00:10:39,830 And as an aside, this is where we see the seed of the people being 187 00:10:39,830 --> 00:10:43,430 a grumbling people through their years in the wilderness starting 188 00:10:43,430 --> 00:10:43,910 to form. 189 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:47,920 They're even grumbling now. 190 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,080 And that grumbling will continue for another 40 years until 191 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:57,360 that generation of grumblers dies out and they can enter the Promised 192 00:10:57,360 --> 00:10:57,680 Land. 193 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:03,120 Moses questions why the Lord has harmed the Israelites. 194 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:05,840 He's asking, why did you send me in the first place? 195 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:11,030 And Moses presses the Lord as to why he has harmed them by sending 196 00:11:11,030 --> 00:11:12,350 him to them. 197 00:11:13,310 --> 00:11:17,150 And what's more, the Lord has not delivered his people one inch 198 00:11:17,630 --> 00:11:18,350 from the land. 199 00:11:19,470 --> 00:11:25,150 And telling all this to God, he's asking for the Lord's help to 200 00:11:25,150 --> 00:11:26,990 resolve all of these problems. 201 00:11:27,390 --> 00:11:30,750 And it'll be in chapter six that we get the Lord's reply to Moses. 202 00:11:31,230 --> 00:11:32,990 And we look at that in a few weeks time. 203 00:11:32,990 --> 00:11:36,470 But it would be human to think that Moses would throw in the towel 204 00:11:36,470 --> 00:11:39,320 at this point and simply go back to Midian, go back to where 205 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:41,760 he knew to be that farmer or that shepherd on the land. 206 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:45,600 But the Lord assures him in the first verse of chapter six, as 207 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:49,240 we look ahead, the Lord said to Moses, now you will see what I 208 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:50,240 will do to Pharaoh. 209 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:54,160 Because of my mighty hand, he will let them go. 210 00:11:54,640 --> 00:12:00,000 Because of my mighty hand, he will drive them out of his country. 211 00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:05,130 The Lord's gracious, and the Lord is good. 212 00:12:06,490 --> 00:12:11,130 The Lord asks Moses to continue to trust in him. 213 00:12:11,370 --> 00:12:14,970 He assures Moses of the rescue of the children of Israel. 214 00:12:15,290 --> 00:12:19,210 But it will be by the Lord's doing and in his time. 215 00:12:20,090 --> 00:12:21,770 But notice now what he says. 216 00:12:22,570 --> 00:12:27,930 The Lord will use Pharaoh as the one who will let them go, so 217 00:12:27,930 --> 00:12:32,440 that Moses can lead them to beyond the Red Sea, into the wilderness. 218 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:38,880 And this is the confidence that we are called to have from this 219 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:39,240 account. 220 00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:47,760 In Exodus 5, Moses and Aaron faced the scorn of Pharaoh, and then 221 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:51,080 they faced the anger of the leaders of the children of Israel. 222 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:53,000 So what could they do? 223 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:58,230 The only thing they could was to look to the Lord God who had promised 224 00:12:58,230 --> 00:13:00,670 salvation for his people. 225 00:13:01,790 --> 00:13:05,550 And I hope you've observed that this chapter begins with a question, 226 00:13:06,030 --> 00:13:09,230 and at the end of it, we get the answer to that question. 227 00:13:09,870 --> 00:13:12,070 Verse two told us what that question was. 228 00:13:12,070 --> 00:13:14,910 As Pharaoh asks, who is the Lord? 229 00:13:16,190 --> 00:13:18,750 Now, would any of us be bold enough to ask that question? 230 00:13:18,750 --> 00:13:22,430 We may not ask it in those exact words, but perhaps at times 231 00:13:22,430 --> 00:13:25,760 in our hearts we have questioned, well, who is the Lord? 232 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,040 Who is the Lord to tell me to do that? 233 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:35,680 Who is the Lord to put on me his standard so that in business 234 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:41,600 I will do things his way, in family life, I will lead as he leads, 235 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,680 or in my friendship circle, and in church life, I will actually 236 00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:48,560 live by the way he calls me to live. 237 00:13:50,650 --> 00:13:53,370 You see, before we judge Pharaoh too quickly in asking this 238 00:13:53,370 --> 00:13:54,570 question, who is the Lord? 239 00:13:56,170 --> 00:13:58,090 Is this not a question that we've asked ourselves? 240 00:14:00,410 --> 00:14:02,570 See, Pharaoh dares to ask who is the Lord? 241 00:14:03,130 --> 00:14:06,810 Pharaoh questions the authority of the Lord in this question. 242 00:14:07,450 --> 00:14:09,610 The Lord who demands the release of his people. 243 00:14:09,610 --> 00:14:15,530 And Pharaoh is so arrogant, yet so lost in his understanding 244 00:14:15,610 --> 00:14:15,880 of. 245 00:14:15,950 --> 00:14:20,630 Of who he's dealing with by this time in the Pharaoh's life. 246 00:14:20,630 --> 00:14:24,030 There are many statues of him around Egypt, including at sites 247 00:14:24,110 --> 00:14:25,870 that the children of Israel were building. 248 00:14:26,830 --> 00:14:29,670 And as I told you, I'm a very romantic person. 249 00:14:29,670 --> 00:14:32,230 And I took Pamela for our wedding anniversary to the British 250 00:14:32,230 --> 00:14:32,750 Museum. 251 00:14:33,310 --> 00:14:34,510 It's a great day out. 252 00:14:35,470 --> 00:14:37,910 And I said, we have to go to the Egypt, Drummond. 253 00:14:37,910 --> 00:14:38,590 And we did. 254 00:14:39,470 --> 00:14:42,990 And there in the British Museum, you have some of the huge 255 00:14:43,070 --> 00:14:50,070 carvings of Ramesses ii, the Pharaoh we believe to be in charge 256 00:14:50,070 --> 00:14:50,750 at this time. 257 00:14:50,750 --> 00:14:55,910 Now, these are not models, these are not reproductions. 258 00:14:57,110 --> 00:15:01,550 These were taken in that great exploration of Egypt in the early 259 00:15:01,550 --> 00:15:02,550 1900s. 260 00:15:03,110 --> 00:15:07,950 These are the original statues that Ramesses would have walked out 261 00:15:07,950 --> 00:15:08,630 and looked at. 262 00:15:09,190 --> 00:15:13,400 And as he did with them all around, he said to himself, how good 263 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:14,560 am I? 264 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:16,320 He believed himself to be the top dog. 265 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:18,520 He believed that there was no one above him. 266 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,720 And so he had all the authority, and no one was going to 267 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:23,000 have authority over him. 268 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,240 So whenever I challenge you that. 269 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:30,280 Have we not all asked the question, who is the Lord? 270 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:33,760 Whenever we understand its deeper meaning, I think we all have 271 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:38,440 to admit we have, who is the Lord that he would have his authority 272 00:15:39,530 --> 00:15:40,170 over me? 273 00:15:42,090 --> 00:15:43,730 Well, that's the question that's asked. 274 00:15:43,730 --> 00:15:46,610 Although Pharaoh doesn't get a direct answer to this question, we 275 00:15:46,610 --> 00:15:50,970 see the response of Moses in verse 22 as the only answer to who 276 00:15:51,210 --> 00:15:52,250 God is. 277 00:15:53,210 --> 00:15:54,170 What does Moses do? 278 00:15:54,170 --> 00:15:57,290 At the end of this chapter, he returned to the Lord. 279 00:15:58,490 --> 00:16:01,730 And so the answer to who is the Lord is demonstrated in what 280 00:16:01,730 --> 00:16:02,570 Moses does. 281 00:16:03,290 --> 00:16:05,510 He returns to the Lord. 282 00:16:05,510 --> 00:16:09,670 And this tells us three things, tells us three things about 283 00:16:09,670 --> 00:16:14,350 God, that this is the God whom Moses trusts, in whom, unlike the 284 00:16:14,350 --> 00:16:18,710 Pharaoh, Moses submits to and to his authority. 285 00:16:19,670 --> 00:16:22,630 First of all, he is the God who is a God. 286 00:16:22,630 --> 00:16:23,350 Who cares. 287 00:16:24,550 --> 00:16:26,230 I wonder, do we know that about God? 288 00:16:26,230 --> 00:16:27,030 He does care. 289 00:16:27,750 --> 00:16:31,030 He cares enough to give us food for our tables. 290 00:16:31,030 --> 00:16:33,730 Please don't think that you're the one who provides for all you 291 00:16:33,730 --> 00:16:34,010 need. 292 00:16:34,570 --> 00:16:36,730 You physically cannot make a tree grow. 293 00:16:37,130 --> 00:16:40,250 You can create the conditions for it, but you cannot make it grow. 294 00:16:40,250 --> 00:16:41,450 Or a plant in the ground. 295 00:16:42,010 --> 00:16:45,050 And how quickly does a storm come and wipe out a harvest? 296 00:16:46,090 --> 00:16:49,210 So if we think we provide for ourselves, then we are misled, because 297 00:16:49,370 --> 00:16:50,650 God is the one who cares for us. 298 00:16:50,650 --> 00:16:51,690 And we see it every day. 299 00:16:52,490 --> 00:16:54,250 We see it in all of life. 300 00:16:55,050 --> 00:16:58,410 He gives us relationships in which we can love and be loved. 301 00:16:59,410 --> 00:17:00,770 He gives us companionship. 302 00:17:01,970 --> 00:17:04,930 He gives us good things to eat and enjoy. 303 00:17:05,570 --> 00:17:08,490 And in the land in which we live, particularly on this day, we 304 00:17:08,490 --> 00:17:10,930 recognize the freedoms we have to worship Him. 305 00:17:11,410 --> 00:17:13,810 Where the children of Israel didn't have those freedoms to go 306 00:17:13,810 --> 00:17:14,930 and worship him, we do. 307 00:17:14,930 --> 00:17:16,930 And here we are, week by week, doing it. 308 00:17:17,490 --> 00:17:19,450 See, God is a God who cares. 309 00:17:19,450 --> 00:17:23,730 And that's what Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:28 in that great Sermon 310 00:17:23,810 --> 00:17:24,530 on the Mount. 311 00:17:24,900 --> 00:17:26,900 Look at the birds of the air, says Jesus. 312 00:17:27,060 --> 00:17:30,300 They do not sow or reap or store away in barns. 313 00:17:30,300 --> 00:17:33,060 And yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 314 00:17:33,460 --> 00:17:39,340 Are you not much more valuable than they see when you think about 315 00:17:39,340 --> 00:17:39,500 it? 316 00:17:39,500 --> 00:17:41,140 And that's what Jesus is pointing at. 317 00:17:41,540 --> 00:17:43,140 How do the birds survive? 318 00:17:43,940 --> 00:17:45,700 How do they survive in the storms? 319 00:17:46,180 --> 00:17:49,460 How do their nests not blow out of the trees more often? 320 00:17:50,020 --> 00:17:53,220 How do they fly in the wind to get much needed food that they need. 321 00:17:54,340 --> 00:17:58,500 They don't sow, nor do they reap, nor do they store in barns. 322 00:17:58,500 --> 00:18:00,460 Yet God provides for them. 323 00:18:00,460 --> 00:18:02,740 And Jesus comes with the question, are you not more valuable 324 00:18:02,740 --> 00:18:03,540 as humanity? 325 00:18:04,020 --> 00:18:06,460 After all, what did God say about us in creation? 326 00:18:06,460 --> 00:18:11,140 That when he saw humanity, he said it was not just good, but very 327 00:18:11,220 --> 00:18:11,620 good. 328 00:18:12,820 --> 00:18:15,780 So never doubt the Lord's care for you, because he does. 329 00:18:16,660 --> 00:18:19,940 He gives you everything that you need because you are valuable 330 00:18:20,850 --> 00:18:21,330 to Him. 331 00:18:23,250 --> 00:18:26,530 And that value doesn't change as the wind does. 332 00:18:27,890 --> 00:18:31,730 That value is placed on you because you are made in his image 333 00:18:32,610 --> 00:18:34,210 and you are his creation. 334 00:18:35,330 --> 00:18:38,330 So to return to the Lord, to know his authority, means that you 335 00:18:38,330 --> 00:18:41,490 know that God is a God who cares for you. 336 00:18:42,370 --> 00:18:44,970 But the second thing that we learn about returning to the Lord 337 00:18:44,970 --> 00:18:48,130 is that God is a God who is with us. 338 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:50,840 Why else would Moses go? 339 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:53,800 He's seen the Lord at the burning bush. 340 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:57,960 He's known the presence of God right before him. 341 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,720 God is the one who has said, I will go with you. 342 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,280 And God has said, I will lead you out of Egypt. 343 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:07,400 God is the God who is with us. 344 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:08,840 He will never leave us. 345 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:13,040 Of course we can believe this, because what has God done for us? 346 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:16,540 He's gone to the greatest extent to demonstrate that he is 347 00:19:16,540 --> 00:19:16,980 with us. 348 00:19:17,300 --> 00:19:21,700 That's what we learn in John 1:14, that we look at as we get closer 349 00:19:21,700 --> 00:19:22,300 to Christmas. 350 00:19:22,300 --> 00:19:25,620 But it's too good a verse just to leave until December. 351 00:19:26,100 --> 00:19:32,020 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. 352 00:19:32,900 --> 00:19:39,060 We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came 353 00:19:39,060 --> 00:19:43,110 from the Father, full of grace, truth. 354 00:19:44,310 --> 00:19:47,590 If you want any greater demonstration that God is with us, 355 00:19:47,990 --> 00:19:51,190 then all we have to do is look at the sending of His Son, Jesus 356 00:19:51,190 --> 00:19:55,510 Christ, who, John tells us in that opening, in these opening verses, 357 00:19:55,670 --> 00:19:57,670 that he came to be amongst us. 358 00:19:58,070 --> 00:20:01,990 Not to be far away, but to be amongst us. 359 00:20:01,990 --> 00:20:04,910 And that's how we know him, continuing to be with us as the Holy 360 00:20:04,910 --> 00:20:07,710 Spirit has been sent on the day of Pentecost, so that we will 361 00:20:07,710 --> 00:20:09,990 know the presence of God day in, day out. 362 00:20:09,990 --> 00:20:13,890 That he is a God who not only cares for us, but he is a God who 363 00:20:13,890 --> 00:20:14,850 is with us. 364 00:20:15,890 --> 00:20:19,130 And finally, as we return to the Lord, we know that God is a God 365 00:20:19,130 --> 00:20:22,290 who wants us to draw near to him. 366 00:20:23,490 --> 00:20:26,130 God wants us to trust in Him. 367 00:20:27,570 --> 00:20:30,370 At the end of the day, that's what's going on with the people. 368 00:20:31,330 --> 00:20:34,770 They need to know that they can only trust in God to deliver 369 00:20:34,850 --> 00:20:35,250 them. 370 00:20:35,650 --> 00:20:39,040 And so as the work gets harder, it's not punishment, it's 371 00:20:39,670 --> 00:20:42,790 it's a greater understanding of the truth that it is only God 372 00:20:42,790 --> 00:20:48,070 who can rescue because the Lord wants us to draw near to Him. 373 00:20:48,070 --> 00:20:52,350 He wants us to draw closer to him because that's what James says 374 00:20:52,350 --> 00:20:53,590 in James 4:8. 375 00:20:53,750 --> 00:20:57,830 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 376 00:20:58,950 --> 00:21:03,230 Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, 377 00:21:03,230 --> 00:21:07,000 you double minded James is hitting both people here. 378 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,560 Those who don't know Christ, you need to know Christ. 379 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,720 You need to know him as your Savior because He is the One who 380 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:14,680 wants you to draw near to Himself. 381 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:18,120 But also if you're double minded, as we look Tonight in Revelation 382 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:22,000 3 in the church of Laodicea, being look warm, neither hot, neither 383 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:22,440 cold. 384 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:24,920 Double minded is lukewarmness. 385 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:26,680 We're not sure, we're not in, we're not out. 386 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:33,230 We are to draw near to the Lord because He is the only One who 387 00:21:33,230 --> 00:21:38,110 can gently, graciously lead us safely home. 388 00:21:39,310 --> 00:21:43,790 You see, God wants us to come near to him, to return to him through 389 00:21:43,790 --> 00:21:44,990 His Son, Jesus. 390 00:21:46,670 --> 00:21:51,630 So I want to challenge you this morning to return to the Lord. 391 00:21:54,110 --> 00:21:58,460 For those of you who feel the weight of the world, that that weight 392 00:21:58,460 --> 00:21:59,340 is too much. 393 00:21:59,980 --> 00:22:03,860 Where family matters, work issues, fractured relationships, 394 00:22:03,860 --> 00:22:09,660 business concerns and marriage feelings feel too much to bear, return 395 00:22:10,700 --> 00:22:11,500 to the Lord. 396 00:22:13,100 --> 00:22:16,620 Come near to Him, God says through Jesus. 397 00:22:17,820 --> 00:22:22,580 For those who need to know that they need that forgiveness of 398 00:22:22,580 --> 00:22:26,650 sins, come to Jesus and know him as your Savior. 399 00:22:27,370 --> 00:22:31,450 For those who need hope in a future that is secure in eternity, 400 00:22:31,930 --> 00:22:36,650 look to Jesus as the only one who can give you that assurance. 401 00:22:37,610 --> 00:22:41,770 And for each and every one of us, purify our hearts. 402 00:22:42,810 --> 00:22:49,130 Come with clean hands so that just like Moses, we will make that 403 00:22:49,130 --> 00:22:52,080 journey as we return to the Lord. 404 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:56,400 But this journey is not one that is too far to travel along. 405 00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:58,880 It's not crossing the world. 406 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:03,360 It's simply coming on your knees before the Lord Jesus and saying, 407 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:07,280 father, may I know you more. 408 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:11,920 Revive in me a spirit that looks to you. 409 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:17,000 You see, Christ came to us so that we could know him, that we could 410 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:20,960 be filled by his spirit and know his wonderful grace of salvation. 411 00:23:21,930 --> 00:23:25,850 And so each of us today need to return to him and know his goodness 412 00:23:25,850 --> 00:23:27,130 and his blessing. 413 00:23:27,930 --> 00:23:29,490 And we know that we can do this. 414 00:23:29,490 --> 00:23:31,370 What did we sing in our opening praise? 415 00:23:31,690 --> 00:23:36,490 Oh God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come. 416 00:23:36,490 --> 00:23:40,570 You see, biblically, he is the God who has seen us people through 417 00:23:40,570 --> 00:23:41,530 mighty waters. 418 00:23:42,170 --> 00:23:45,290 He has shed his own blood for us that we might know salvation. 419 00:23:46,010 --> 00:23:49,330 And indeed, the hope that is to come is a day when he is coming 420 00:23:49,330 --> 00:23:53,820 again to make us or to take his own people home. 421 00:23:55,180 --> 00:23:57,420 So today, will you return to the Lord? 422 00:23:58,060 --> 00:24:02,380 Will you know him as the one who sees you as valuable? 423 00:24:03,100 --> 00:24:06,060 Will you know that he is the God who cares for you because he 424 00:24:06,060 --> 00:24:07,660 sent His Son to dwell among us? 425 00:24:08,300 --> 00:24:12,620 And will you draw near to him so that you will know his closeness 426 00:24:12,780 --> 00:24:14,380 in the days that are ahead? 427 00:24:15,740 --> 00:24:22,330 Return to him today, not tomorrow, not next week, not when 428 00:24:22,330 --> 00:24:27,770 you think is the right time, because the right time is today. 429 00:24:28,810 --> 00:24:34,010 Return to him so you can know a Savior who is indeed mighty to 430 00:24:34,010 --> 00:24:36,650 keep you until the end. 431 00:24:37,690 --> 00:24:38,490 Let's pray. 432 00:24:39,530 --> 00:24:42,490 Our Father God, we thank you that this is a story of a people 433 00:24:42,650 --> 00:24:44,650 who received for your glory. 434 00:24:45,230 --> 00:24:48,910 And Father, your glory is displayed to us today in Jesus Christ. 435 00:24:49,150 --> 00:24:52,950 And so as we think about what it means to return to him, we know 436 00:24:52,950 --> 00:24:57,070 that we have lives that are filled with cares for our young people. 437 00:24:57,390 --> 00:24:59,110 They're concerned about school. 438 00:24:59,110 --> 00:25:01,470 They're concerned about the influences around them. 439 00:25:02,030 --> 00:25:05,670 For those who are starting out in new workplaces or maybe starting 440 00:25:05,670 --> 00:25:08,510 out in married life, there's concerns about what the future looks 441 00:25:08,510 --> 00:25:08,750 like. 442 00:25:09,630 --> 00:25:11,790 For those who are older and wiser. 443 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,120 Father, we know the concerns are still there because we have to 444 00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:16,800 rely on you daily to see us through. 445 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,240 And Father, the question that comes about your authority, who is 446 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:21,840 this God? 447 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:25,760 Father, the answer is that we must return to you so that we may 448 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:27,280 know you in all your fullness. 449 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:31,600 So is the God who has brought your people through mighty waters, 450 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,240 the God who gave your son so that his blood would be shed, so 451 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:37,920 that we would know the forgiveness of sins and the penalty 452 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:42,090 of that sin removed from us, and the God who is sending his son 453 00:25:42,090 --> 00:25:43,050 to return again. 454 00:25:43,850 --> 00:25:47,770 Lord, may we look to you as the only one who will keep us until 455 00:25:47,770 --> 00:25:48,330 the end. 456 00:25:48,970 --> 00:25:54,170 So may we respond well this day in Jesus name, amen.