1 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:15,520 You might expect me to say what I'm about to say next because 2 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:20,440 of how long I've been involved in living and working on the African 3 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:20,960 continent. 4 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,800 But there's a wonderful creativity on that continent. 5 00:00:26,810 --> 00:00:30,770 African people, whichever country they live in, seem to be 6 00:00:30,770 --> 00:00:33,570 able to do some of the most amazing things with the most limited 7 00:00:33,570 --> 00:00:34,290 of resources. 8 00:00:34,290 --> 00:00:37,770 And even in the poorest of places in the world, humanity does 9 00:00:37,770 --> 00:00:39,850 what it needs to do to survive. 10 00:00:40,330 --> 00:00:45,170 And this creativity is seen in hygiene with a village hand washing 11 00:00:45,170 --> 00:00:49,210 station used with a piece of string and an empty plastic bottle 12 00:00:49,450 --> 00:00:52,810 suspended from a tree so that no one has to touch anything with 13 00:00:52,810 --> 00:00:55,910 dirty hands but can have their hands cleaned. 14 00:00:55,910 --> 00:00:58,830 And we're Talking about a 2 liter Coca Cola bottle, for example, 15 00:00:58,990 --> 00:01:02,510 and that's used and that's improved health care in the village. 16 00:01:02,510 --> 00:01:03,550 Who would have thought? 17 00:01:04,030 --> 00:01:06,990 Or maybe the story of William Kamkwamba. 18 00:01:07,150 --> 00:01:10,309 You've maybe never heard of him, but if you have Netflix, I would 19 00:01:10,309 --> 00:01:13,550 encourage you to watch the movie the Boy who Harnessed the Wind 20 00:01:13,790 --> 00:01:18,430 as it tells the story from the Midlands off Malawi, who gathered 21 00:01:18,590 --> 00:01:22,810 old bits of scrap metal so that his family could have electricity 22 00:01:22,810 --> 00:01:27,970 because he was sick and tired of not having light at night to be 23 00:01:27,970 --> 00:01:32,450 able to read and learn what that windmill went on to do was to 24 00:01:32,450 --> 00:01:36,730 provide irrigation so that while the rest of Malawi was starving 25 00:01:37,210 --> 00:01:42,170 back in the early 2000s, this school lad developed an irrigation 26 00:01:42,170 --> 00:01:46,330 system harnessing wind so that his family would have food. 27 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,800 So these have been inventions that have changed villages. 28 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,560 But perhaps on the lighter side, the most frequent way you see 29 00:01:55,560 --> 00:02:00,000 the creativity of African communities is in the name of their 30 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:00,800 shops. 31 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:08,560 I have visited the Jesus loves you shoe and umbrella repair shop. 32 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:15,120 I've also gone in and perused in the Lord's Day furniture shop. 33 00:02:15,980 --> 00:02:18,380 I couldn't make up my mind if that was only furniture for the good 34 00:02:18,380 --> 00:02:21,580 room to sit on on a Sunday or not, I wasn't quite sure, but there 35 00:02:21,580 --> 00:02:22,220 you have it. 36 00:02:22,220 --> 00:02:27,460 But my favorite of all is a name that comes from our Bible passage 37 00:02:27,460 --> 00:02:33,100 this morning, the Exodus 14:14 hairdressing salon. 38 00:02:34,140 --> 00:02:37,540 Now, if you aren't familiar with what this verse is, this is 39 00:02:37,540 --> 00:02:40,460 what it the Lord will fight for you. 40 00:02:41,330 --> 00:02:43,090 You need only be still. 41 00:02:44,130 --> 00:02:48,050 And in case you don't get it, there's no better thing to do when 42 00:02:48,050 --> 00:02:51,410 you're in the barber or hairdresser's chair than to sit still, 43 00:02:52,050 --> 00:02:55,330 as they are the ones guiding the sharp objects around your head. 44 00:02:55,970 --> 00:02:57,410 I learned my lesson once. 45 00:02:57,730 --> 00:02:59,570 I sneezed during a haircut. 46 00:03:00,450 --> 00:03:01,170 Never again. 47 00:03:03,330 --> 00:03:06,210 To be fair, it scared the life out of my hairdresser but that's 48 00:03:06,210 --> 00:03:06,770 another story. 49 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,520 Well, I begin with this verse because the story of the children 50 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,320 of Israel's departure from Egypt should have been one of continued 51 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:15,280 trust in God. 52 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:17,040 But it wasn't. 53 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,160 This verse should have been what was on their hearts that the 54 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:22,240 Lord will fight for you. 55 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:23,520 You need only be still. 56 00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:25,680 But it wasn't. 57 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,520 They weren't willing, as the psalmist will go on later, to write, 58 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,680 to be still and know that indeed the Lord God Almighty was 59 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:35,440 their God. 60 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:40,920 They saw the sea in front of them and they saw the Egyptians behind 61 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,920 them, and they lost faith in God in that moment. 62 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,200 And throughout this story, it's been the Lord God Almighty that 63 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:51,240 the people have had to trust in. 64 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,360 And we will see in this passage why there was a break in 65 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:59,600 chapter 12 to make sure that the people knew how and when to celebrate 66 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:02,880 their rescue from slavery and from the land of Egypt, because they 67 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,840 would easily forget the victory the Lord won on their behalf. 68 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:11,080 And we see it already, before they even leave the land of Pharaoh, 69 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:15,800 they would question if he really did care about them. 70 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:22,520 So this morning, is that a question that we've asked maybe, 71 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,440 maybe once, maybe twice, maybe more than that, does the Lord really 72 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:27,080 care? 73 00:04:28,450 --> 00:04:30,970 Because as we've read the account before even looking at it, 74 00:04:30,970 --> 00:04:33,890 you'll see it's a bit of a wayward account for the people. 75 00:04:34,370 --> 00:04:38,370 We're back into the story, the almost minute by minute, day by day 76 00:04:38,370 --> 00:04:39,410 movement of the people. 77 00:04:40,130 --> 00:04:43,090 We've had the regulations for the Passover and the consecration 78 00:04:43,090 --> 00:04:46,290 of the firstborn, and that was to galvanize the hearts of the people 79 00:04:46,290 --> 00:04:49,090 so that they would remember what they were rescued from and who 80 00:04:49,090 --> 00:04:50,130 did the rescuing. 81 00:04:51,650 --> 00:04:55,010 But now they're really asking, did God really care for them? 82 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:59,640 And maybe it is a genuine question that you have asked in your 83 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:03,280 heart, Perhaps in the dark night of the soul, is God there? 84 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:05,040 Does he care? 85 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:10,480 And even before these people are confronted by the Egyptians, 86 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:14,400 who, by the way, come with the most advanced military technology 87 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:21,040 of its day, God proves to them on their journey that indeed he is 88 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:22,560 the God to be trusted. 89 00:05:23,620 --> 00:05:26,140 And so the first thing, and it's in three ways, the first thing 90 00:05:26,140 --> 00:05:30,020 is, God always knows which way is best for his people. 91 00:05:30,820 --> 00:05:35,220 And as we begin this passage, we read this very truth in verse 92 00:05:35,460 --> 00:05:35,860 17. 93 00:05:36,580 --> 00:05:39,540 So how do we know God always knows which way is best for his people? 94 00:05:40,020 --> 00:05:43,700 Well, verse 17 says, When Pharaoh let the people go, God did 95 00:05:43,700 --> 00:05:46,820 not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though 96 00:05:46,820 --> 00:05:47,940 that was shorter. 97 00:05:48,430 --> 00:05:52,110 For God said, if they face war, they might change their minds. 98 00:05:52,670 --> 00:05:55,070 And Return to Egypt. 99 00:05:55,710 --> 00:05:58,950 And so as the children of Israel leave Egypt, the Lord is going 100 00:05:58,950 --> 00:06:03,150 to take them on a route that would surprise many a map reader. 101 00:06:03,470 --> 00:06:06,990 There was a much shorter route to the promised land. 102 00:06:07,150 --> 00:06:08,430 And there it is on the map. 103 00:06:08,430 --> 00:06:11,750 It would only have taken them two weeks if they'd headed from the 104 00:06:11,750 --> 00:06:15,530 northern part of that green area into the gray area of Sinai, 105 00:06:15,530 --> 00:06:19,340 the two weeks, and they would have been the land that was theirs. 106 00:06:20,300 --> 00:06:23,660 But instead, the people would be taken through the wilderness for 107 00:06:23,660 --> 00:06:24,420 40 years. 108 00:06:24,420 --> 00:06:25,660 Well, 44 years. 109 00:06:26,060 --> 00:06:28,540 And the main reason, of course, for this, as we'll discover, 110 00:06:29,020 --> 00:06:33,020 is the punishment for people who questioned and doubted God, who 111 00:06:33,020 --> 00:06:36,180 fashioned an idol so that they would worship the idol rather than 112 00:06:36,180 --> 00:06:37,500 worship the true God. 113 00:06:38,380 --> 00:06:43,120 So part of that longevity of that journey was their unfaithfulness 114 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:43,680 to God. 115 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,320 But there's a reason why God is taking them. 116 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:53,640 In these first few days of rescue, the Lord takes them up by 117 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:54,960 the way of the sea. 118 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,160 Now, if you look at that map, you will see that they're currently 119 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:02,360 at Succoth, which is just between sort of the Red Sea and the 120 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:03,840 Mediterranean, the green area. 121 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,160 And what they're to do is to head along the way by the sea, which 122 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,570 would be to go to the right hand side, the Red Sea. 123 00:07:12,010 --> 00:07:14,650 And so he takes them on this known route. 124 00:07:15,050 --> 00:07:18,010 And he does this because the Lord knows two things. 125 00:07:18,650 --> 00:07:21,410 This is why the people can trust him, that he knows the ways 126 00:07:21,410 --> 00:07:22,410 that are best for them. 127 00:07:22,650 --> 00:07:25,290 First, he knows who is along the way. 128 00:07:25,850 --> 00:07:28,850 Not only would the children of Israel have to push through some 129 00:07:28,850 --> 00:07:33,050 of the most militarized area of Egypt, through northern Sinai. 130 00:07:33,050 --> 00:07:36,290 Sinai, because that's where the Egyptians had fortified their 131 00:07:36,290 --> 00:07:37,290 northeastern border. 132 00:07:37,530 --> 00:07:40,890 But once they would pass those fortified cities of the Egyptians, 133 00:07:41,510 --> 00:07:44,030 they would then come face to face with the Philistines. 134 00:07:44,030 --> 00:07:46,910 And as we know from later texts in scripture, the Philistines 135 00:07:46,910 --> 00:07:49,950 are not a people to go up against unless you are prepared to 136 00:07:49,950 --> 00:07:50,230 fight. 137 00:07:51,030 --> 00:07:55,630 And even, even if they did defeat the Philistines, they would 138 00:07:55,630 --> 00:07:59,070 then face the Canaanites, the dwellers of the promised land, and 139 00:07:59,070 --> 00:08:02,630 they would have to fight them as they would do 40 years later. 140 00:08:03,590 --> 00:08:07,590 Well, verse 18 tells us that they went up out of Egypt armed for 141 00:08:07,590 --> 00:08:08,070 battle. 142 00:08:08,070 --> 00:08:11,430 But this doesn't necessarily mean that they were ready to fight. 143 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:14,640 These are people who have been enslaved. 144 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:18,080 They've never been trained for warfare and fighting. 145 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:22,120 And so here you would have this, yes, sizeable amount of people, 146 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,760 maybe with weapons, but not knowing how to use them, going up 147 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:29,200 against fighters who were doing it almost day and daily. 148 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,760 The Egyptians, the Philistines, and the Canaanites. 149 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:34,880 So the Lord knows who they'd be going up against. 150 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,680 And rather than going the two week journey, the Lord takes them 151 00:08:38,680 --> 00:08:42,940 on the longer way, so they would not have to face these opponents. 152 00:08:44,620 --> 00:08:48,460 But the second thing that God knows about his people and how he 153 00:08:48,460 --> 00:08:51,980 can guide them well is how the people will think. 154 00:08:52,860 --> 00:08:55,380 If they have to face the Egyptians, the Philistines and the 155 00:08:55,380 --> 00:08:58,060 Canaanites, then they may lose heart. 156 00:08:59,180 --> 00:09:02,580 We see that towards the end and they're not even facing anyone 157 00:09:02,580 --> 00:09:03,020 to fight. 158 00:09:03,820 --> 00:09:06,220 And so losing heart, then they would want to go back. 159 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:08,520 And why would they want to go back? 160 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:09,800 Because it was familiar. 161 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:14,280 They would want to go back because of the familiarity of life 162 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:14,840 in Egypt. 163 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:17,800 It may have been a hard life, but at least it was known. 164 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:23,120 But we have to remember this was not why God demonstrated His 165 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,000 awesome power to rescue them. 166 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:30,440 He was saving them as his people, and so he would keep them. 167 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:35,400 And so already, even though the children of Israel may not fully 168 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:41,240 understand how he's doing it, the Lord God is knowing which way 169 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:45,160 is best for his people and he is leading them in that way. 170 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:51,640 And as the Israelites traveled that long and winding road, then 171 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:55,000 they doubted whether God's way was really the best way. 172 00:09:55,560 --> 00:09:58,680 But God knew what he was doing, as he always does. 173 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:04,640 Whatever God happens to be doing right now in your life, do 174 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:07,320 you believe that it is all for the best? 175 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,920 Sometimes it's hard, and I know that because I've experienced 176 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:15,480 it, that when you're in the midst of the storm, when you're in 177 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:19,320 the midst of the trouble, you can wonder, why is this happening? 178 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:24,880 Well, we must know with firm assurance that this is not God's 179 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:29,880 punishment on us, but rather God is doing something better through 180 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:34,610 may not seem that way, but it is. 181 00:10:34,610 --> 00:10:40,450 Because Paul writes in Romans 8:28 and we know that in all things 182 00:10:40,930 --> 00:10:44,930 God works for the good of those who love him, who have been 183 00:10:44,930 --> 00:10:47,890 called according to his purpose. 184 00:10:49,650 --> 00:10:54,690 Now it's key that Paul writes about the purposes of God, because 185 00:10:54,690 --> 00:10:57,250 his purposes are true and they're right. 186 00:10:57,250 --> 00:10:58,570 We may not understand them. 187 00:10:58,570 --> 00:11:01,390 And Scripture tells us that that our ways are not his ways. 188 00:11:01,390 --> 00:11:03,830 Our thoughts are not his thoughts, because his ways and thoughts 189 00:11:03,830 --> 00:11:05,350 are much higher than ours. 190 00:11:05,990 --> 00:11:08,150 He knows the end from the beginning. 191 00:11:08,230 --> 00:11:10,470 He knows everything that's going to happen in between. 192 00:11:11,670 --> 00:11:14,590 And so he knows exactly what's going on in your life right now. 193 00:11:14,590 --> 00:11:16,870 And you can trust him to lead you through it. 194 00:11:17,590 --> 00:11:21,670 Even when you're tempted to doubt whether God knows what he's 195 00:11:21,670 --> 00:11:27,810 doing, we're called to believe that his way is the Best way. 196 00:11:28,530 --> 00:11:32,650 And it may not be over in a week, it may not even be over in 197 00:11:32,650 --> 00:11:38,250 a year, but he will remain faithful as he was to his disobedient 198 00:11:38,250 --> 00:11:42,249 people and he leads them to the promised land, just as he will 199 00:11:42,249 --> 00:11:44,210 lead us through whatever valley we are in. 200 00:11:45,890 --> 00:11:50,650 You see, when we trust him, then we will discover that he is 201 00:11:50,650 --> 00:11:54,870 a God truly worthy of the trust and faith we place in him. 202 00:11:56,150 --> 00:12:00,110 So just as the people of old had to learn that God always knows 203 00:12:00,110 --> 00:12:03,270 which way is best for his people, so we must trust that today. 204 00:12:03,590 --> 00:12:06,030 The second thing we learn about God's care for his people is 205 00:12:06,030 --> 00:12:08,789 that God is always faithful to help his people. 206 00:12:09,590 --> 00:12:12,390 So not only does he know the way, but he's going to help us along 207 00:12:12,390 --> 00:12:12,950 the way. 208 00:12:13,430 --> 00:12:17,150 And it may or may not have been a surprise to you of what we 209 00:12:17,150 --> 00:12:20,720 read in verse 19, this is what we're told. 210 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:24,080 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made 211 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:25,880 the sons of Israel swear an oath. 212 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,400 He had said, God will surely come to your aid, and then you must 213 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,280 carry my bones up with you from this place. 214 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,520 That's probably the last thing in anyone's mind 400 years later, 215 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:38,760 but yet Moses does it. 216 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:42,520 And it tells us something of God and his faithfulness to his people. 217 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,960 Because what we're being told in this verse is the fulfillment 218 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:50,240 of what the Israelites had promised to do centuries earlier 219 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:54,340 in Genesis 50, Joseph had gathered his brothers to himself 220 00:12:54,340 --> 00:12:59,100 as he lay dying, and he made them promise to take his body with 221 00:12:59,100 --> 00:13:02,660 them when they left Egypt, because Joseph believed that God 222 00:13:02,660 --> 00:13:03,460 was faithful. 223 00:13:04,020 --> 00:13:07,259 And this is what the writer of Hebrews, looking back on the story 224 00:13:07,259 --> 00:13:11,860 of God's people and looking particularly at Joseph, said in Hebrews 225 00:13:11,860 --> 00:13:18,460 11:22, by faith, Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the 226 00:13:18,460 --> 00:13:22,140 exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and and gave instructions about 227 00:13:22,220 --> 00:13:23,100 his bones. 228 00:13:23,900 --> 00:13:28,300 Again, that seems odd, but yet what have we been told about God? 229 00:13:29,020 --> 00:13:31,980 Well, Joseph has been told that his descendants would become 230 00:13:31,980 --> 00:13:35,580 slaves in Egypt, but he also knew that God would rescue them. 231 00:13:36,220 --> 00:13:40,860 Joseph knew this because God had promised it to Abraham by covenant. 232 00:13:41,500 --> 00:13:45,540 And when God finally brought Israel out of Egypt, Joseph wanted 233 00:13:45,540 --> 00:13:49,340 to go with them to the land God had promised his great grandfather, 234 00:13:49,500 --> 00:13:51,420 his grandfather and his father. 235 00:13:52,340 --> 00:13:56,020 And the Israelites kept their promise, carrying Joseph's bones 236 00:13:56,100 --> 00:13:58,740 all the way through the wilderness until finally they were 237 00:13:58,740 --> 00:14:03,140 led to rest in the family burial plot at Shechem in Joshua 238 00:14:03,140 --> 00:14:05,700 chapter 24 and verse 32. 239 00:14:06,660 --> 00:14:11,460 And what that burial proved was that Joseph trusted in the right 240 00:14:11,460 --> 00:14:14,500 God, even though he was surrounded by the so called Gods 241 00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:15,300 of Egypt. 242 00:14:15,620 --> 00:14:20,330 He kept faith in the one true God, the God who kept his promise 243 00:14:20,330 --> 00:14:21,690 to rescue Israel. 244 00:14:22,570 --> 00:14:26,770 And anyone who needs any kind of help should trust in the God of 245 00:14:26,770 --> 00:14:31,810 Abraham, of Joseph and of Moses, because He is always faithful 246 00:14:31,810 --> 00:14:32,970 to help his people. 247 00:14:34,010 --> 00:14:36,410 And that's what you're called to today. 248 00:14:37,370 --> 00:14:42,130 You are to put your trust in the Lord God, because when you do, 249 00:14:42,130 --> 00:14:44,090 it is a trust well placed. 250 00:14:45,180 --> 00:14:48,860 Not only has he provided a way for salvation through Jesus Christ, 251 00:14:49,420 --> 00:14:52,380 but He has promised to keep you to the end. 252 00:14:53,020 --> 00:14:55,260 Through all the ups and downs of life. 253 00:14:55,900 --> 00:15:01,340 He's promised or he's not promised to give us all that we want, 254 00:15:02,140 --> 00:15:04,860 but he does promise to give us what we need. 255 00:15:05,580 --> 00:15:09,420 And today you can trust him with whatever you're facing. 256 00:15:10,390 --> 00:15:13,430 So as much as he is the God who is, who knows the ways of his 257 00:15:13,430 --> 00:15:15,910 people that are best for his people, he's also the God who is 258 00:15:15,910 --> 00:15:17,750 faithful in those ways to his people. 259 00:15:18,390 --> 00:15:22,590 That even though the paths may be difficult, he calls us and invites 260 00:15:22,590 --> 00:15:25,270 us to trust in him, that indeed he will see us through. 261 00:15:26,310 --> 00:15:28,790 And all you have to do is read the rest of Exodus to understand 262 00:15:28,870 --> 00:15:32,790 that Joseph is pointing us to what God will continue to do. 263 00:15:33,190 --> 00:15:35,350 He will continue, as it were, to deliver. 264 00:15:36,070 --> 00:15:37,910 He'll continue to keep his promise. 265 00:15:38,390 --> 00:15:41,990 He'll continue to keep a rebellious people close to Himself, 266 00:15:42,310 --> 00:15:45,110 even though at times that rebellious people want nothing to 267 00:15:45,110 --> 00:15:45,670 do with Him. 268 00:15:46,630 --> 00:15:51,910 God will remain faithful to you because God is the one. 269 00:15:53,430 --> 00:15:57,790 He is the One who is faithful, and he's the One who will never let 270 00:15:57,790 --> 00:15:58,230 you go. 271 00:15:59,910 --> 00:16:03,190 Well, the third thing this passage tells us about God is that 272 00:16:03,940 --> 00:16:04,980 God is always present. 273 00:16:05,860 --> 00:16:08,980 So as he knows the ways, as he's faithful in those ways, so he 274 00:16:08,980 --> 00:16:10,140 is present with us. 275 00:16:10,140 --> 00:16:13,060 He doesn't do it from an abstract distance. 276 00:16:14,420 --> 00:16:18,740 And this is seen in verse 21 as the people leave Succoth. 277 00:16:19,060 --> 00:16:22,900 And so we're told by day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar 278 00:16:22,900 --> 00:16:25,740 of cloud to guide them on their way, and by night in a pillar 279 00:16:25,740 --> 00:16:29,620 of fire to give them light so that they could travel by day. 280 00:16:30,590 --> 00:16:34,830 I had this section written a few days ago, so of course didn't 281 00:16:34,830 --> 00:16:36,110 know anything of what was going to happen. 282 00:16:36,110 --> 00:16:38,910 But how many of us looked out of our windows, if we are able to, 283 00:16:38,910 --> 00:16:42,990 and looked across, looked north and saw that hue of orange. 284 00:16:43,870 --> 00:16:45,270 There's no way you could miss it. 285 00:16:45,270 --> 00:16:49,510 And even this morning as the smoke is drifting and mixed with 286 00:16:49,510 --> 00:16:52,910 the cloud, you can't ignore what's been happening and what's 287 00:16:52,910 --> 00:16:53,510 been going on. 288 00:16:53,510 --> 00:16:55,470 And that's the image we're given. 289 00:16:56,310 --> 00:16:59,310 The people could not ignore the presence of God in their midst. 290 00:16:59,310 --> 00:17:02,350 Now, I'm not suggesting the fire and the smoke of God's presence 291 00:17:02,350 --> 00:17:06,550 to us today, but it's to remind us that he's true of what 292 00:17:06,550 --> 00:17:07,670 he says in His Word. 293 00:17:08,790 --> 00:17:11,350 You see, God never left the people. 294 00:17:11,990 --> 00:17:16,310 He never left them because he guided them in the way that they 295 00:17:16,310 --> 00:17:16,790 should go. 296 00:17:17,110 --> 00:17:19,910 And so what the cloud represented was the very presence 297 00:17:19,910 --> 00:17:20,550 of God. 298 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:25,200 He was in the cloud and the fire to light the way. 299 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:29,640 And this showed that he was with his people all the time, day 300 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:30,400 and night. 301 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:35,120 The pillar was a visible manifestation of his personal presence. 302 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:39,840 And theologians called this physical presence of God before His 303 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:43,040 people a theophany, a God appearance. 304 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:48,720 And when God appears up this way, when he shows up this way, he 305 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:53,590 appears in a fiery cloud of glory, sometimes called the Shekinah 306 00:17:53,590 --> 00:17:57,630 glory, as spoken of later in Exodus 16 and Exodus 40. 307 00:17:58,350 --> 00:18:03,710 And what it is is an outward display of God's inward glory. 308 00:18:05,550 --> 00:18:08,270 And maybe sometimes we wish we actually did have a cloud. 309 00:18:09,150 --> 00:18:12,030 Maybe sometimes we wish we had a pillar of fire in front of us. 310 00:18:12,590 --> 00:18:14,710 Maybe we wish we had bread crumbs. 311 00:18:14,710 --> 00:18:17,790 And maybe we're even tempted to put out a fleece like Gideon did, 312 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:20,320 just to try and determine. 313 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,960 Maybe you've gone even further into ways that you shouldn't have. 314 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:30,000 Maybe you've dabbled in the occult by rolling dice and Ouija 315 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:30,560 boards. 316 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:35,920 Maybe you've read horoscopes trying to determine what you think 317 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:37,200 the way is you should go. 318 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:38,560 Please, please don't. 319 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:40,800 Please don't read horoscopes. 320 00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:43,800 Please don't dabble in anything of the occult by way of 321 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:48,570 rolling dice or by Ouija boards or consulting anything that 322 00:18:48,570 --> 00:18:53,130 is evil, because it will only rot your soul. 323 00:18:54,330 --> 00:18:56,170 Have no image before you. 324 00:18:57,050 --> 00:19:00,050 Have nothing that you think you will look to that will guide 325 00:19:00,050 --> 00:19:00,410 you. 326 00:19:01,129 --> 00:19:05,210 Because the only one who will is the Lord God Almighty. 327 00:19:05,530 --> 00:19:10,330 And yes, he may not be a theophany in front of us by way of 328 00:19:10,330 --> 00:19:14,860 cloud or by way of fire, but he is before us. 329 00:19:15,500 --> 00:19:21,660 And he is present in his word as we read it and as we learn it, 330 00:19:22,060 --> 00:19:25,100 so that we will truly know his ways for us. 331 00:19:26,620 --> 00:19:28,060 You see, we want to know. 332 00:19:28,299 --> 00:19:32,260 We want to be guided and directed young people, in what college 333 00:19:32,260 --> 00:19:36,420 or university or whatever you want to do after school. 334 00:19:36,420 --> 00:19:38,300 Or maybe then there's the workforce. 335 00:19:38,300 --> 00:19:39,580 What job should you take? 336 00:19:39,980 --> 00:19:41,660 Should you stay or should you go? 337 00:19:42,140 --> 00:19:44,140 Or maybe even the person you should marry. 338 00:19:44,540 --> 00:19:46,460 These major life moments. 339 00:19:47,180 --> 00:19:50,620 We wish God would simply just float down a piece of paper and tell 340 00:19:50,620 --> 00:19:53,020 us yet the truth. 341 00:19:53,020 --> 00:19:58,540 Is that God gives us all the divine guidance we need. 342 00:19:59,260 --> 00:20:01,180 And it's in a much better form. 343 00:20:02,140 --> 00:20:08,150 He has given us the fire of His Spirit, and now we have his glorious 344 00:20:08,150 --> 00:20:11,670 presence with us all day and all night. 345 00:20:12,870 --> 00:20:18,310 It is as if the column of cloud and pillar of fire have come 346 00:20:18,310 --> 00:20:19,830 right inside us. 347 00:20:20,550 --> 00:20:25,030 And this is what Jesus said in John 14, verses 16 and 17. 348 00:20:25,110 --> 00:20:28,830 The context of the verses are there, but Jesus says that the Holy 349 00:20:28,830 --> 00:20:31,510 Spirit dwells with you and will be. 350 00:20:32,230 --> 00:20:35,790 This is God's promise to us that he will guide us by the leading 351 00:20:35,790 --> 00:20:36,710 of the Holy Spirit. 352 00:20:36,790 --> 00:20:40,790 And the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, no more 353 00:20:40,790 --> 00:20:43,110 or no less than the Father and the Son. 354 00:20:43,190 --> 00:20:44,950 And since then, he is divine. 355 00:20:45,190 --> 00:20:48,590 The Bible declares in First Peter, chapter 4, verse 14, that 356 00:20:48,590 --> 00:20:53,230 the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you, echoing what Christ 357 00:20:53,230 --> 00:20:53,910 has said. 358 00:20:54,230 --> 00:20:58,110 And so part of the Spirit's glorious work is to give us direction 359 00:20:58,110 --> 00:20:58,630 for life. 360 00:20:59,490 --> 00:21:03,410 And Jesus promised that the Spirit would give us all truth in 361 00:21:03,410 --> 00:21:05,090 John 16:13. 362 00:21:05,170 --> 00:21:09,130 And now by the power of his holy presence, God is always with 363 00:21:09,130 --> 00:21:11,330 us to guide us. 364 00:21:14,050 --> 00:21:20,050 Now don't ignore or think little of the work of the Holy Spirit. 365 00:21:21,090 --> 00:21:23,250 Be attentive to the Holy Spirit. 366 00:21:23,250 --> 00:21:25,250 And you might ask, well, how do we do that? 367 00:21:25,250 --> 00:21:26,370 Because again, it's come back. 368 00:21:26,370 --> 00:21:30,050 If only it was a cloud, or if only it was a pillar of fire. 369 00:21:30,930 --> 00:21:35,850 Well, as I've said already, we read God's revealed word to us so 370 00:21:35,850 --> 00:21:40,130 that we know what his ways are and what his truth is. 371 00:21:41,010 --> 00:21:44,530 And through His Word, leading by the Holy Spirit, we will discern 372 00:21:44,530 --> 00:21:47,090 the truth of that leading. 373 00:21:49,650 --> 00:21:52,490 And so today, if your cry is, where is God? 374 00:21:52,490 --> 00:21:53,730 Does he even care? 375 00:21:54,770 --> 00:21:57,490 Let me assure you, he is right here with you. 376 00:21:57,970 --> 00:21:59,490 And he's not going to stay in this building. 377 00:21:59,490 --> 00:22:03,090 He'll go with you out through those doors, and he will be with 378 00:22:03,090 --> 00:22:05,970 you if you will only but turn and look to him. 379 00:22:06,850 --> 00:22:11,250 And rather than accusing him, come to Him. 380 00:22:12,530 --> 00:22:16,770 Know him to be the One who knows the ways that are right for 381 00:22:16,770 --> 00:22:17,090 you. 382 00:22:17,890 --> 00:22:22,450 Know him, the One who is faithful to help you. 383 00:22:23,420 --> 00:22:26,220 But know him as the One who will guide you. 384 00:22:26,700 --> 00:22:29,180 Because this is who he promises to be. 385 00:22:29,420 --> 00:22:35,580 Even in the hardest moments that you face and that you endure, 386 00:22:36,380 --> 00:22:38,140 you can trust God. 387 00:22:38,460 --> 00:22:40,100 All because of Jesus Christ. 388 00:22:40,100 --> 00:22:41,740 And that's where we move on to next. 389 00:22:41,740 --> 00:22:44,740 Because as we finish this morning, there's still 14 verses 390 00:22:44,740 --> 00:22:46,300 of chapter 14 to look at. 391 00:22:46,620 --> 00:22:49,380 And they begin with another surprising request. 392 00:22:49,380 --> 00:22:53,780 In verse two, you see, the people are ready to leave and to 393 00:22:53,780 --> 00:22:54,900 get Egypt behind them. 394 00:22:54,900 --> 00:22:58,060 But the Lord comes to Moses and says in verses two and three, 395 00:22:58,460 --> 00:23:03,340 tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near PI Harioth between 396 00:23:03,580 --> 00:23:05,180 Migdol and the sea. 397 00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:09,580 They are to encamp by the sea directly opposite BAAL Sethon. 398 00:23:10,060 --> 00:23:13,060 Pharaoh will think the Israelites are wandering around the 399 00:23:13,060 --> 00:23:16,460 land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert. 400 00:23:17,010 --> 00:23:19,250 Now we don't know where any of these places are. 401 00:23:19,250 --> 00:23:20,690 Now it's only guesswork. 402 00:23:21,810 --> 00:23:24,690 But what's important is what God tells them to do. 403 00:23:25,650 --> 00:23:27,090 He tells them to turn back. 404 00:23:27,570 --> 00:23:31,730 They're heading to freedom along the road by the sea and he's 405 00:23:31,730 --> 00:23:32,690 telling them to go back. 406 00:23:33,170 --> 00:23:37,490 And rather than going away from Egypt, they're going back to 407 00:23:37,490 --> 00:23:37,810 it. 408 00:23:38,850 --> 00:23:42,490 Now, we haven't heard from pharaoh since chapter 12, but appears 409 00:23:42,490 --> 00:23:44,290 that the Lord isn't finished with him yet. 410 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:50,320 And so as the people turn back, it's all to mislead Pharaoh 411 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:53,040 because he thinks that they're going to be returning to work. 412 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:57,720 Well, verse four tells us that the Lord will once again harden Pharaoh's 413 00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:01,160 heart and this will be a decisive victory for God and his 414 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:01,440 people. 415 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:05,360 And we see this unfold in verses 5 to 9. 416 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:10,240 It seems not only to dawn on Pharaoh what has happened, but now 417 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,680 on his civil servants that they've lost about a million people 418 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:15,920 of a workforce quite literally overnight. 419 00:24:16,460 --> 00:24:19,460 Who's going to undertake now the construction and the building 420 00:24:19,460 --> 00:24:21,820 work that the Egyptians wanted done. 421 00:24:22,220 --> 00:24:25,580 And so this has displeased and distressed all of his servants. 422 00:24:26,700 --> 00:24:28,700 So Pharaoh sets out in his chariots. 423 00:24:28,700 --> 00:24:31,060 And by the way, if you're thinking, well, that's a rudimentary 424 00:24:31,060 --> 00:24:34,540 way, this was the fastest known vehicle of its time. 425 00:24:34,940 --> 00:24:38,300 This was top notch equipment for warfare. 426 00:24:39,100 --> 00:24:43,570 Pharaoh is quite literally emptying the armory to go after these 427 00:24:43,570 --> 00:24:43,890 people. 428 00:24:44,450 --> 00:24:46,450 This is how troubled he is. 429 00:24:47,250 --> 00:24:50,330 And so as he approaches the people, Scripture says he overtakes 430 00:24:50,330 --> 00:24:50,690 them. 431 00:24:51,410 --> 00:24:54,250 They're now on a return journey and they're fearful and they 432 00:24:54,250 --> 00:24:57,250 cry out to the lord in verse 10, just like they did in Exodus 433 00:24:57,250 --> 00:25:00,570 3, by crying out to the Lord for salvation and for rescue. 434 00:25:00,570 --> 00:25:03,330 But we're not told what they cry, but rather what we're told is 435 00:25:03,330 --> 00:25:07,050 as soon as they do that, they stop looking upwards and they turn 436 00:25:07,050 --> 00:25:10,460 to the man in front of them and they cry out to Moses. 437 00:25:10,540 --> 00:25:12,860 And so they now attack their leader. 438 00:25:13,500 --> 00:25:15,660 And this is what they said to Moses. 439 00:25:15,820 --> 00:25:18,740 Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought 440 00:25:18,740 --> 00:25:20,620 us to the desert to die? 441 00:25:21,020 --> 00:25:23,700 What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 442 00:25:23,700 --> 00:25:27,220 Didn't we say to you in Egypt, leave us alone, let us serve the 443 00:25:27,220 --> 00:25:27,900 Egyptians? 444 00:25:28,300 --> 00:25:31,780 It Would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to 445 00:25:31,780 --> 00:25:32,620 die in the desert. 446 00:25:34,150 --> 00:25:37,470 Now this is quite the bit of sarcasm here from the children of 447 00:25:37,470 --> 00:25:37,990 Israel. 448 00:25:38,550 --> 00:25:41,190 This is perhaps where Jewish comedy begins. 449 00:25:41,270 --> 00:25:42,710 They're asking the question, did you bring. 450 00:25:42,710 --> 00:25:44,150 Were there no graves in Egypt? 451 00:25:44,470 --> 00:25:46,110 Well, of course there were graves in Egypt. 452 00:25:46,110 --> 00:25:47,110 They helped to build them. 453 00:25:47,510 --> 00:25:48,870 They're called the pyramids. 454 00:25:49,190 --> 00:25:50,550 They're all graves all around. 455 00:25:50,550 --> 00:25:51,750 You couldn't miss them. 456 00:25:52,550 --> 00:25:54,550 And so there's a sarcasm here. 457 00:25:54,950 --> 00:25:59,270 They also ask Moses what he's done, what they've done to him in 458 00:25:59,270 --> 00:26:00,870 bringing them up out of Egypt. 459 00:26:01,340 --> 00:26:03,020 In other words, we told you so. 460 00:26:03,260 --> 00:26:06,860 Now, maybe the Israelites did tell Moses to leave them alone, but 461 00:26:06,860 --> 00:26:10,380 if they did, the Bible doesn't mention it any strong or forceful 462 00:26:10,380 --> 00:26:10,700 way. 463 00:26:11,260 --> 00:26:14,300 Probably they were just sulking because that's the way people 464 00:26:14,460 --> 00:26:18,060 usually do or what they do whenever things don't go their way. 465 00:26:18,780 --> 00:26:23,260 And what was most alarming of all was their willingness to go right 466 00:26:23,260 --> 00:26:24,700 back into bondage. 467 00:26:25,100 --> 00:26:28,860 They told Moses it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians 468 00:26:29,010 --> 00:26:31,080 that than to die in the desert. 469 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:35,160 The whole point of the Exodus was for them to serve God. 470 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:40,840 But here they were wanting to go right back into servitude of Pharaoh. 471 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:43,800 And it wasn't even servitude, it was slavery. 472 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:49,880 This was more than a loss of nerve as they saw the Egyptians. 473 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,280 This was something that's going to plague the children of Israel 474 00:26:55,010 --> 00:26:56,690 for the duration of their time. 475 00:26:57,570 --> 00:26:58,850 It is a lack of faith. 476 00:26:59,570 --> 00:27:03,090 By pledging their allegiance to Pharaoh, by wanting to go back 477 00:27:03,090 --> 00:27:05,970 to him, they were denying the power of God. 478 00:27:06,130 --> 00:27:10,130 And the psalmist put it bluntly when he writes in Psalm 106:7, 479 00:27:10,290 --> 00:27:11,570 they rebelled. 480 00:27:11,570 --> 00:27:13,250 That's a rebellion against God. 481 00:27:13,250 --> 00:27:15,090 Even before they get to Sinai. 482 00:27:15,650 --> 00:27:19,490 They rebelled by the sea at the Red Sea. 483 00:27:20,620 --> 00:27:24,940 So here we see their first chink of rebellion, wanting to trust 484 00:27:24,940 --> 00:27:30,140 Pharaoh, whom they'd cried for rescue from rather than God. 485 00:27:32,780 --> 00:27:37,740 And aren't we often tempted to do the same thing? 486 00:27:39,660 --> 00:27:44,380 You see, God wants to bring us all out of our sins. 487 00:27:45,340 --> 00:27:49,760 Our problem is that we only come out part way. 488 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:54,080 We perhaps believe we make a decision to follow Christ. 489 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:58,360 But as soon as we start having problems, we get scared and we go 490 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:00,720 right back to our old ways of coping. 491 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:07,840 Anger, addiction, self righteousness, distraction. 492 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:12,560 No matter how much we used to hate it, how much we want to hate 493 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:12,800 it. 494 00:28:13,270 --> 00:28:16,390 There was security in the way we used to live. 495 00:28:16,390 --> 00:28:21,230 So we return to the same old harmful friendships, the same old 496 00:28:21,230 --> 00:28:25,670 sinful attitudes, and the same old nasty habits. 497 00:28:27,270 --> 00:28:30,310 But there is another way to respond. 498 00:28:31,030 --> 00:28:34,950 And Moses gives it to us in verse 14. 499 00:28:36,230 --> 00:28:39,670 This is the verse that many an African hairdresser is called. 500 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:44,320 But yet how much more truth is it for today that the Lord indeed 501 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:45,600 will fight for you. 502 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:47,560 You need only be still. 503 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:49,840 That stillness is a trust in Him. 504 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:55,000 So as the God who knows what's best for you, the God who will be 505 00:28:55,000 --> 00:29:00,200 faithful to guide you, and the God who will never leave you is inviting 506 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:03,680 you to be still before him, to let him do the work that he has always 507 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:04,880 promised to do. 508 00:29:06,010 --> 00:29:07,930 We take it to him in prayer. 509 00:29:08,490 --> 00:29:12,330 We read his word to have these promises hidden in our hearts. 510 00:29:12,330 --> 00:29:16,170 Just like with the girls and boys, we take this and we live it, 511 00:29:16,170 --> 00:29:17,770 because this has not changed. 512 00:29:17,850 --> 00:29:21,330 This is our truth today, that we need to trust in the Lord, that 513 00:29:21,330 --> 00:29:22,650 He will fight for us. 514 00:29:23,130 --> 00:29:28,770 There are Pharaohs all around us, bringing us fear and making us 515 00:29:28,770 --> 00:29:29,570 question God. 516 00:29:29,570 --> 00:29:33,290 And at times we are more focused on these than we are on God. 517 00:29:33,370 --> 00:29:37,620 And so we do lose heart and but he is the God of rescue. 518 00:29:37,620 --> 00:29:39,220 He is the God of salvation. 519 00:29:39,460 --> 00:29:43,420 And as such he is the One who will lead us through the waters and 520 00:29:43,420 --> 00:29:45,420 bring us to our promised home in heaven. 521 00:29:45,420 --> 00:29:47,060 Isn't that what he's about to do? 522 00:29:47,540 --> 00:29:51,179 Isn't he about to take this people through the waters of the 523 00:29:51,179 --> 00:29:51,940 Red Sea? 524 00:29:52,180 --> 00:29:56,380 Isn't he about to rescue them and close the path behind so that 525 00:29:56,380 --> 00:29:58,580 they will never return to Egypt? 526 00:30:00,260 --> 00:30:01,700 And that's what he still does. 527 00:30:02,530 --> 00:30:06,890 He leads us through and he will bring us to our promised home 528 00:30:06,890 --> 00:30:07,490 in heaven. 529 00:30:07,730 --> 00:30:09,970 What we need to do is trust in Christ. 530 00:30:10,530 --> 00:30:14,690 We need to trust in his sacrifice for sin, to say that we're 531 00:30:14,690 --> 00:30:19,650 sorry for our hardened hearts and our disobedience and our sin 532 00:30:19,650 --> 00:30:23,650 against God, and to live for him by staying close to Him. 533 00:30:23,890 --> 00:30:27,690 And that's what Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:31. 534 00:30:27,690 --> 00:30:31,640 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all 535 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:35,240 these things will be given to you as well. 536 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:40,280 And if we know the chorus that comes from this, what do we sing? 537 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:41,240 Allelu. 538 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:42,320 Alleluia. 539 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,600 And where did we begin with our call to worship? 540 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:45,840 Hallelujah. 541 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,040 Declare the people of God in His presence. 542 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,560 You see what everything is drawing us to. 543 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:57,040 Everything is drawing us to the complete fulfillment of all God's 544 00:30:57,040 --> 00:31:01,280 covenant promises to his people that as he leads us through 545 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:05,760 the waters, so indeed he will bring us home. 546 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:11,320 He is truly the God who knows the ways that are best for you, even 547 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:14,480 though you may feel they are hard and difficult and don't understand 548 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:15,680 now. 549 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:21,240 He is the God who will be faithful in his leading Indeed, he 550 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:24,800 will guide you because his presence is physically with you by 551 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:31,040 the power of His Holy Spirit, that spirit of fire within us as 552 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,440 we seek after the things of God. 553 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:36,000 So don't get scared. 554 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:41,480 What we have to do is know and be still that the Lord will fight 555 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:42,000 for us. 556 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:46,040 Don't go back into your anger, your addiction, your self righteousness 557 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:47,120 or your distraction. 558 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:48,600 Nor make the promises. 559 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:51,440 If only God will do this, then I will do that. 560 00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:56,000 If only God would show this or answer this prayer, then I'll believe 561 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:56,560 in Him. 562 00:31:57,500 --> 00:31:59,180 No, don't play God for the fool. 563 00:31:59,180 --> 00:32:01,900 Because this morning he has presented to you who he is. 564 00:32:03,100 --> 00:32:07,820 And without doubt he is the one to whom we believe in. 565 00:32:08,300 --> 00:32:12,980 Because we must seek first his kingdom and we must seek first his 566 00:32:12,980 --> 00:32:13,580 righteousness. 567 00:32:13,580 --> 00:32:15,020 That's all of his good. 568 00:32:15,980 --> 00:32:18,300 And everything else will be given to us as well. 569 00:32:19,340 --> 00:32:23,310 But our primary focus, to see us through the waters and to know 570 00:32:23,310 --> 00:32:27,670 those waters close behind us so that we will forever be with the 571 00:32:27,670 --> 00:32:28,030 Lord. 572 00:32:29,150 --> 00:32:32,550 Well, everything will come with us as we place our trust in 573 00:32:32,550 --> 00:32:34,350 him, as he gives us his good. 574 00:32:35,230 --> 00:32:40,670 So this day, don't look at the Pharaohs, don't trust in them. 575 00:32:40,990 --> 00:32:43,390 Don't trust in the habits of the past. 576 00:32:44,110 --> 00:32:49,120 But look to the Savior who will lead you and guide you and indeed 577 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:49,960 bring you home. 578 00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:51,480 Let's pray. 579 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:56,440 Our Father God, we thank you that you were saving a people, your 580 00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:57,800 own people, for your glory. 581 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:00,680 And even though they doubted, even though at times they questioned. 582 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:05,080 Father, we ask that as we learn from your word, so we'll not 583 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:06,760 become as guilty as they. 584 00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:09,960 That we will look to the Savior and only Christ. 585 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:13,000 That we will trust you and take you at your word. 586 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:16,440 So that we will know this truth even in the darkest moments 587 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:18,920 of life that some may be enduring right now. 588 00:33:19,980 --> 00:33:22,700 We pray that by your holy Spirit, you will bring a comfort 589 00:33:22,700 --> 00:33:27,340 of heart to know that you are the one who will lead them through 590 00:33:27,980 --> 00:33:32,300 for themselves or their loved ones, the challenges and the hardships 591 00:33:32,300 --> 00:33:32,780 of life. 592 00:33:33,900 --> 00:33:39,220 Thank you that this too will pass as we look to you and await 593 00:33:39,220 --> 00:33:42,300 ever the day when Christ is coming soon. 594 00:33:43,420 --> 00:33:48,300 So Father, hear us as we pray in Jesus name, Amen.