The Danger of Self-Powered Faith: A Critical Review of ‘Into the Wilderness’

• Faithfulness in Difficulty [00:25:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor encourages the congregation to remain faithful to God through small steps like prayer and scripture reading, even when situations seem hopeless or difficult.
• God as the God of Fulfillment [00:28:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that God transitions from being the 'God of promises' to the 'God of fulfillment,' noting that some answered prayers occur long after the initial request.
• Divine Identity and Sovereignty [00:29:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor asserts God's unique identity as the 'Great I Am,' the Creator, and the Holy One who fulfills promises and cares for His people.
• Faith in Hopeless Circumstances [00:32:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor encourages believers to remain faithful and invite God into their lives even when situations seem hopeless or blocked by walls.
• Jesus as the Great High Priest [00:32:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of Moses' roles as prophet, priest, and king, inviting believers directly into God's presence.
• God's Sovereignty and Promise Fulfillment [00:33:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor emphasizes that God is the 'God of I Am' who makes and fulfills promises, even if the fulfillment is not seen in this lifetime.
• Moses as a Type of Christ [00:34:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains how Moses functioned as prophet, priest, and king, pointing to Jesus who fulfills all these roles for believers.
• God's Presence in Suffering [00:35:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor affirms that God hears pain, knows fears, and cares for believers, promising ultimate resolution in eternity.
• Redemption from Sin [00:37:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the Exodus narrative to the spiritual reality that Jesus sets believers free from the slavery of sin and darkness.
• Personal Testimony of Transformation [00:39:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares his own story of moving from a difficult childhood to trusting Christ, illustrating how God transforms lives and provides hope.
• Strength in Weakness [00:42:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses Moses' 'faltering lips' to illustrate that God's strength is perfected in human weakness and surrender.
• Call to Surrender and Service [00:43:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor encourages daily prayer, scripture reading, and serving others, asserting that God meets believers in their weaknesses.
• Divine Presence and Identity [00:43:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor establishes that God is with the believer, making them a special possession, and that God works through unworthy people when they surrender to Him.
• Divine Empowerment and Trust [00:44:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor asserts that when believers surrender to God, He moves in powerful ways, fulfills His promises, and the Holy Spirit empowers them with strength.
• Moses' Inadequacy and God's Call [00:44:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references Moses' whining and feeling unworthy ('faltering lips') to illustrate that God calls and uses people despite their perceived inadequacy.
• Priestly Identity and Lineage [00:46:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the Levite lineage of Moses and Aaron to the believer's identity as a 'royal priesthood' and 'holy nation' in Christ.
• Access to God's Throne [00:47:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that through Jesus, the Great High Priest, believers can approach God's throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and help.
• Salvation and Faith [00:49:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor outlines the gospel: Jesus lived, died, rose, and ascended; salvation is received by believing in Him and recognizing one's sinfulness.
• Royal Priesthood and Witness [00:50:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines the believer's role as a 'royal priesthood' and 'holy nation' called to declare God's praises and bring others from darkness to light.
• God of Action and Fulfillment [00:51:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor characterizes God as a 'God of action' and 'fulfillment' who proves His divinity through the resurrection and witnesses, contrasting Him with a God who only talks.
• Identity and Perseverance [00:51:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor addresses the world's attacks on identity, urging believers to reject lies of unworthiness and remain faithful by taking steps of faith.
• Invitation to Faith [00:53:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor invites those who do not know Christ to receive the gift of salvation by believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

• Sermon Illustration [00:26:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares his personal experience playing football in elementary, middle, high school, and college, citing coaches who advised him to 'do your part and keep moving forward.'
• Sermon Illustration [00:27:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the biblical narrative of Moses and Aaron going to Pharaoh, where Pharaoh refuses to let the Israelites go and subsequently increases their labor quota, illustrating the difficulty of trusting God when circumstances worsen.
• Sermon Illustration [00:39:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal testimony of his difficult childhood, noting that he trusted Christ in 8th grade, which transformed his life from darkness to light and gave him hope and purpose.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes his experience of hitting a 'wall' in life, but through persistence in Jesus, the wall was removed, leading to freedom and victory.
• Sermon Illustration [00:39:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references his own history of losing loved ones and witnessing traumatic events, yet finding that God was his healer and provider.
• Sermon Illustration [00:45:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about reading the genealogies in the Bible and feeling confused, wondering what to do with the lineage, which leads to the realization that God reminds us of who we are in Christ.
• Sermon Illustration [00:44:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the biblical account of Moses and Aaron feeling unworthy and 'whining' to God, using this as an illustration of human inadequacy contrasted with God's power to work through them.

• Pastoral Charge [00:27:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > Ask God to come and invite Him into their lives.
• Pastoral Charge [00:38:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The congregation is called to verbally surrender their lives to God and invite Him into their daily struggles.
• Pastoral Charge [00:40:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The congregation is commanded to actively seek and cry out to God to experience His presence.
• Pastoral Charge [00:43:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The congregation is instructed to engage in evangelism and service to find God.
• Pastoral Charge [00:49:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > Believe in Jesus and receive the gift of salvation.
• Pastoral Charge [00:50:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > Spend time in prayer and the Word, attend church, and look for ways to serve others.
• Pastoral Charge [00:52:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > Invite Jesus into personal struggles and allow Him to work and encourage.
• Pastoral Charge [00:53:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > Take a step of faith, keep going, and refuse to give up.
• Pastoral Charge [00:55:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > Share the light of God and invite Jesus to help those who are stuck.

[00:00:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:00:08] Let's be with you in worship this morning. Let's all stand on our feet as we sing this song together. If you're joining online or visiting for the first time, we want to welcome you. Let's sing this out. He lives.

[00:00:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:00:18] The tomb where he lay, the stone, his feet, his scars.
[00:00:37] So as we sing this next song, let's worship him together. It's talking about a thousand generations. What do you think about that?
[00:14:43] Worship ages to the name.

[00:19:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:19:43] God, as we sing this song, talking about a thousand generations, God, I think we all can think of someone that we know that's gone on to be with you.
[00:19:49] God, we just, someday we'll be praising you with them.
[00:19:52] And that's amazing to think about.
[00:19:53] Thousands and thousands and thousands of people singing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.
[00:19:58] God, I pray that if today someone here, they can't say that with confidence, that they don't know where they're going, God, that they don't have Jesus as their savior, Lord, that you draw them to you
[00:20:06] and just let them have that saving grace, God.
[00:20:10] Let them come to that knowledge that they need you more than anything else.
[00:20:13] more than anything this world can offer, God.
[00:20:17] Jesus is what we need.
[00:20:18] And it's in Jesus' precious name that we pray.
[00:20:21] Amen.
[00:20:21] Thank you all so much for joining with us in worship.
[00:20:23] You may be seated.

[00:20:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:20:32] Welcome to Venture Church.
[00:20:33] My name is Jason, and it's great to have you with us today.
[00:20:36] If you're new here, we're honored that you chose to be with us, and we invite you to stop by the welcome desk in the lobby after the service and fill out a Connect card.
[00:20:44] We also got a gift to say thank you for joining us today.
[00:20:47] If you'd like to learn more about Venture and you're ready to take that next step and get connected here, Starting Point is coming up and it's the best way to get to know us, what we believe, and how to find your place here.
[00:20:58] It's one night, dinner is included, and you get the whole tour of our campus. And for our families, Awana kicks off shortly for your kids and we can't wait for them to experience it. It's a midweek program that's been helping the little ones grow
[00:21:12] in their faith, memorize scripture, and build real friendships over 70 years.
[00:21:17] We'd love to have your kids here this fall.
[00:21:19] Head to our website to learn more and get registered for either one.
[00:21:24] Your generosity is what makes it possible for us to invest in every age and stage of life, serve our community through Venture Cares and train pastors and leaders all around the world every week through leadership outreach.
[00:21:35] You could give through the Venture app, online and through the offering boxes all around the campus.
[00:21:41] Thank you for giving today.
[00:21:44] This is a big week for a lot of people.
[00:21:46] New classrooms, new teachers, new routines And before we go any further, we'd like to pray over all our students, teachers, and parents.
[00:21:54] Pastor Sean is going to lead us into that right now.

[00:22:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:22:01] Good morning, Venture. How are we doing today?
[00:22:04] Thank you for those joining us online. Glad that we're here.
[00:22:08] So everyone gets back to school this week. Some have started, but it's official this week.
[00:22:13] And so we've got our kids here. We're going to pray.
[00:22:15] And actually, I'm going to ask if there's any kids, middle schoolers, teenagers, and college students, Would you please stand up for a moment and stay standing?
[00:22:25] Don't be afraid.
[00:22:26] Stand up.
[00:22:27] I know you're in here.
[00:22:28] Don't shy and hide.
[00:22:29] I need you to stand up.
[00:22:30] We're going to pray for you.
[00:22:30] It's really important.
[00:22:32] And then also I'm asking any teachers or administrators, we want you to stand up as well, too.
[00:22:38] We want to pray for you as well if you're in here.
[00:22:41] Yeah, we need you all.
[00:22:42] Thank you.
[00:22:45] And then I'm going to ask for any parents of kids that are going back to school, from homeschool to elementary preschool all the above high school middle school college stand up as well we want to pray for you all we need we need to work together on this so let's pray all right
[00:23:02] let's pray venture heavenly father we thank you for these children we thank you for the middle school students we thank you for the high school students we thank you for our college students we pray just a blessing on our teachers and administrators we lift up the parents running
[00:23:19] around, stressfulness, adjusting the classes, be with our teachers, keep them safe and protected and energized, and God, just give them strength like they didn't know they can have, and let our kids be confident in who you are, Jesus, and know that you love them, you care for
[00:23:36] them, give them great peace, any type of anxiety or fears, God, we pray that you would drive those away, and that we can be confident in you, Christ, God, our college students and our high schoolers we know they face a lot of peer pressure and to just all these issues to do things
[00:23:53] to take them away from you that god they would stay firm and strong in you and god just work and move in our homes and our schools our community the sports fields on the band field just all the
[00:24:04] places god we just give this to you and just bless this school year that god your gospel would move and work in powerful way and bless our ministries that we get to be a part of and help out with fca
[00:24:16] young life and life-wise, that, God, you're surrounding these kids way more than they know.
[00:24:21] Students and our college students as well, God. So just be with us. Give us a great school year.
[00:24:27] And God, just move and work in mighty ways. And we ask that in your name, Jesus. Amen.
[00:24:31] You all can be seated and head back to kids ministry. Thank you all.
[00:24:40] So a couple of weeks ago, we had a big kids camp in here and this place was bouncing. Some of these kids know what we're talking about, right? We had tons of fun in here growing and learning about
[00:24:50] Jesus. So it's been tons of fun we're having here with the next generation. So I'm Sean, our next gen pastor. I get the privilege of working with our young adults and students and just helping
[00:25:01] our team and kids ministry. And God is so good here. What God's doing in our midst, it's truly amazing, incredible. And so we're going to continue on our conversation about Moses. We're part three, the wilderness and today we're going to talk about trusting when it's difficult there's times in our
[00:25:20] life where we're going through situations we're going through challenges and sometimes we don't see hope we don't see a way through we don't understand what's going to take place there's times that we're tired we're wore out but I just want you to know God's here to meet us
[00:25:36] and what we think is not going to work God has a way through it and we're going to learn today from Moses last week at the end of the passages that we talked about. Moses and Aaron were
[00:25:49] encouraged. God showed up in a mighty way with the Israelites, and they're ready to move forward, go to Pharaoh, and say, let my people go. And everything was looking great. But we're going to find today Moses hit a wall, a pretty big wall, and it got worse. It didn't get better. It got
[00:26:07] worse there's times when God calls us to be faithful and you're like God that didn't work what's happening everything's not lining up like I thought that would but it's just a reality we need to stay faithful to God we need to take the small steps to be people of prayer to be people
[00:26:26] of reading scripture coming to church looking to serve and just to be honest when we're struggling just cry out to God it's okay God invites us to talk to him no matter where we're at
[00:26:36] and as football season is getting ready to start, I got to play football in elementary, middle school, high school and college and had some really good coaches and football, there's a lot of different people on the team
[00:26:48] and there's a lot of different things going on and some good coaches of mine always said, do your part and keep moving forward.
[00:26:56] When we as a church, we do our part and we just keep moving forward, God's moving in amazing ways and so my encouragement for us today, do our part by being faithful to God do our part by looking to him even in difficult situations
[00:27:12] trust him we have a God of promises and a God of fulfillment we're going to learn today as well too but when we as a church we do our part God's going to move in incredible ways he's asking us to be
[00:27:25] faithful and what we're seeing God do at Venture Church leadership outreach and Venture Cares is unbelievable. There are stories every day, every week. It's unbelievable how God is changing lives and if you need God to come change your life, you're in a good spot. And just ask God to come.
[00:27:42] Invite him in. We'll talk about that more. But let's get started here in Exodus chapter 5.
[00:27:48] Afterward, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. Let my people go so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness. Pharaoh said,
[00:27:58] who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go. Then they said, the God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three
[00:28:12] day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with sword. But the king of Egypt said, Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people
[00:28:23] away from their labor get back to your work then pharaoh said look the people of the land are now numerous and you are stopping them from working just going to pause here for a moment we see the
[00:28:37] reality as we start into the bible as we get into scriptures and we get to exodus we see god is the god of promises and moses doesn't realize it yet but god's going to move from the
[00:28:50] God of promises to the God of fulfillment. And some of these answered prayers are going to take place even far after Moses. And Moses and Aaron are starting this faithfulness, and they struggle, and we're going to see it today. They struggle big time. Following God's not about perfection.
[00:29:08] Following God is about chasing after him, and he'll take care of the rest. And Moses and Aaron and are establishing roots that will follow even to our days.
[00:29:19] There's incredible things that are going to get impacted as we read these scriptures.
[00:29:23] But Moses didn't know how God was going to completely fulfill things.
[00:29:27] And God is also being very clear with Moses that God is the great I am.
[00:29:34] There is no other gods.
[00:29:35] I am the creator.
[00:29:37] I am Yahweh.
[00:29:38] I am holy.
[00:29:40] I am mighty.
[00:29:41] And I will fulfill my promises.
[00:29:43] and I care for my people, and I care for my creation.
[00:29:47] And so the Israelites are growing and learning into the character of God, of who he is, the power, the might of who he is.
[00:29:55] And even from these moments, Moses and Aaron are in this hinge point.
[00:29:59] Aaron's with Moses because, remember, Moses deals with some speech issues, and Moses also feels unworthy.
[00:30:07] So Aaron's assisting him and speaking for him and helping him, and that wasn't God's intention right so Moses is struggling God hears him God supports him that Israelites are in slavery there it's a rough situation and now Moses is coming he's stepping up
[00:30:26] in faith he's seeing some signs and wonders from God God's going to free our people and Pharaoh is no way I don't know your God and I don't care about your God and your people are good workers
[00:30:38] and they're doing what I want them to do and that's just how it's going to be.
[00:30:43] And so the same day Pharaoh gave this order, verse 6, to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people, you are no longer to supply the people a straw for making bricks.
[00:30:54] Let them go and gather their own straw, but require them to make the same number of bricks as before.
[00:31:01] Don't reduce the quota.
[00:31:03] They are lazy.
[00:31:04] That is why they are crying out.
[00:31:06] Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
[00:31:08] make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh why have you treated your servants this way your servants are given no straw yet we are told make bricks your servants are being beaten but
[00:31:26] the fault is with your own people and Pharaoh said lazy that's what you are lazy that is why you keep saying let us go sacrifice the Lord now get to work you will not be given any straw yet
[00:31:38] you must produce your full quota of bricks the Israelite overseers realized that they were in trouble and they were told you are not to reduce the number of bricks required for you each day when they left Pharaoh then found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them and they said may the Lord
[00:31:55] look on you and judge you you have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials have put a sword in their hand to kill us Moses returned to the Lord and said why Lord have you brought me
[00:32:06] trouble on the people is this why you sent me ever since i went to pharaoh to speak in your name he has brought trouble on this people and you have not rescued your people at all trusting god when
[00:32:20] it seems hopeless there's times in our life there could be a health issue a situation in our family something going on that we don't understand a problem that we can't cross it seems like there's
[00:32:32] a door shut. There's even a wall there that we can't get through, and we need to be faithful and continue to just step out in faith. Continue to be with God. Invite God with us. He wants to sit
[00:32:45] with you. He wants to guide you. We'll finish the sermon with a verse in Hebrews that talks about that Jesus is the great high priest, that Jesus has made a way for us, and Jesus invites us
[00:32:58] into his throne room invites us in to his presence invites us to come and actually Moses is setting this up for future and he has no idea and I just want to encourage us as we stay faithful even when
[00:33:12] it's difficult we are giving people an example and a view of what who God is and what God can do and we don't always understand our actions of faith and sometimes we'll never even see the
[00:33:26] fulfillment of the actions of our faith, but it'll pour on to our co-workers, our classmates, our family members from generations to come. And the steps that Moses and Aaron are taking sets us up today. They had no idea, but they begin to realize we have a God, the God of I Am,
[00:33:47] the God that makes promises and fulfill promises. And Moses is frustrated. Has anybody ever been frustrated with God it's okay to say that here believe it or not it's okay and we need to cry
[00:33:58] out to God and we need to talk to God but don't give up no matter the situation no matter the circumstance just invite God into it just ask for his help and his guidance help for his strength
[00:34:12] some of us it's hard to just start the day but God will join us God will meet us God will walk us through God is a God of miracles and we see the greatest demonstration as we look at Moses
[00:34:24] he's kind of this forerunner for us to understand that one day the great high priest will come and Moses works in the offices we'll see three things as you read through the book of Exodus you'll
[00:34:35] begin to understand God uses Moses as a prophet someone to teach the word to speak the word as a priest to pray for the people to offer a sacrifice for the people to be forgiven of their sins
[00:34:48] and as a king to lead the people and Jesus came to fulfillment of all those things that I don't have to go to any man for forgiveness of sin I don't have to go to any man for prayer I go directly
[00:34:59] to the great high priest Jesus Lord and Savior the great I am Yahweh the mighty holy God that we are invited into that relationship and Moses is laying this groundwork for you and I today it's incredible
[00:35:13] stuff. But also just a reminder that God hears us and God sees us. God hears the pain of the people.
[00:35:22] God knows your situations. God knows your fears. God knows your pain. He hears you. He sees you.
[00:35:29] He cares for you. He loves you. And some things might not get solved in this lifetime. I can't promise you that it will be. But we know that when we put our faith in Christ in eternity,
[00:35:40] all things will be solved the remedy will be complete we will be free no more tears no more pain no more death the joy of the Lord for eternity amen so we can hold on to that faithfulness and
[00:35:54] that trust that God sees you that God knows you and he does have your best interest and it might not be fulfilled and completely until eternity that when you're with Jesus but as you're faithful
[00:36:05] even in difficult, tough situations.
[00:36:08] God's using that in ways more than you will ever know.
[00:36:12] God is working in the backgrounds.
[00:36:14] God is moving and setting up things in you and through other people's life that you have no idea how God's doing it.
[00:36:21] Exodus 6, we'll go to chapter 6 now.
[00:36:24] Verse 9, Moses reported, my bad, I jumped ahead.
[00:36:29] I'm going to drive Christopher crazy back there on the computer.
[00:36:33] I'll pause.
[00:36:34] Exodus 6.
[00:36:36] All right.
[00:36:38] Start in verse 1 here.
[00:36:40] Therefore, say to the Israelites, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
[00:36:46] I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
[00:36:54] I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.
[00:36:58] Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of Egyptians, and I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, Jacob
[00:37:08] and I'll give to you as a possession that I am the Lord.
[00:37:11] We hear these names, we hear Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and now it's Moses and Moses is, God's using him to carry the baton of who the great I am is, the deliverer that ultimately is for us today.
[00:37:27] The thing that brings us into slavery today is sin and Jesus came to set us free from that.
[00:37:33] Jesus came to set us free from darkness.
[00:37:36] He came to give our minds freedom, to give light to us, to walk us through all circumstances and situations.
[00:37:43] Jesus is here today and we can learn how Moses, the Israelites, learned to depend on God and they had their ups and downs.
[00:37:50] They would praise God and then they would curse God.
[00:37:52] They would turn their back on God and I want us to be people that realize that Jesus is here.
[00:37:57] God is here to guide us, to keep our eyes forward on him to let him guide us and strengthen us and we have a God who will not let us down we may not understand but he will not let us down he will fulfill his promise he
[00:38:11] loves us he cares for us he's here for us so we have the God who's the God of promises the God of fulfillment the great I am and as he's telling Moses to tell to the people and we can take this
[00:38:22] for ourselves, that you, when we put our faith in him, God is our God, we are his people, amen, he sees you, he knows you, he hears you, he loves you, you are his people, God's hand is here,
[00:38:38] be faithful every day to him, and I know that's hard, but it starts small, just saying, God, here I am, I need you, I surrender, God, come into my life, and strengthen me, and guide me, verse 9,
[00:38:50] moses reported this to the israelites but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor the people are their hearts are broken they thought god was already going to deliver them but it got worse they're getting beaten they're they're being
[00:39:08] asked to do work that's harder than it was before and almost impossible and they're sitting there going god where are you and if we're honest many of us have been like that in our life
[00:39:18] and I just want to encourage you he is where he's always been right here he is the great I am put your eyes to him as a kid I grew up through horrific things I could go story to story
[00:39:32] my childhood was tough it was difficult sometimes I even look back it's a miracle that I'm here today and by the time as an 8th grader I trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior and I began to go from darkness to light
[00:39:43] Jesus began to transform and change me and give me a hope and a purpose that I never had before I've been through hard difficult situations I've lost a lot of loved ones I grew up like I said in things I never should have saw and witnessed but God came through
[00:39:58] there was moments and days it felt like I just kept hitting a wall hitting a wall but as I kept persisting in Jesus and I kept my eyes on Jesus and kept crying out to him one day the wall was
[00:40:09] gone and freedom was there victory was there a whole new day was there and so my own life experiences, I've encountered God and I want you to cry out to God. I want you to seek God because
[00:40:21] I want you to encounter God because he's the great I am. He is here. Whatever that hard spot is, God is greater and God is bigger and God is using it in ways you can never imagine. That heartache and
[00:40:33] that pain that I walked through, it sharpened me and shaped me to be the man of God that I am today.
[00:40:39] I learned to depend on him through trials and heartaches and loss and God showed up in powerful ways. God was my healer. God was my provider. God worked through me to share his message to students,
[00:40:51] the kids, the young adults, the people. God has put me in tough situations that most people wouldn't go into because I know I can trust God because I know where he has brought me from. And I know when
[00:41:02] we get in a situation in the name of Jesus, Jesus is said and heard and shared, darkness will run away. The enemy has to go because the power of Jesus Christ is real and is here. And no matter
[00:41:15] your fear, your anxiety, your depression, whatever you're going through, Jesus can walk you out of it. That's our God. He is the great I am. That's who he is. He keeps his promises. He loves us. He
[00:41:26] cares for us. Exodus chapter 6 verse 10. Then the Lord said to Moses, go tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the Israelites go out of his country.
[00:41:37] And so again, God is showing up and God is speaking and he's telling them to go because the Lord said so.
[00:41:43] The Lord is with you.
[00:41:45] But Moses, the people are mad at him.
[00:41:48] Pharaoh's mad at him.
[00:41:49] Moses is like, no way am I going again.
[00:41:52] And this is what Moses said.
[00:41:53] But Moses said to the Lord, if the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me since I speak with faltering lips?
[00:42:01] again Moses he's got a speech issue Moses doesn't feel like he's good enough most of us we all relate to that I'm not good enough who am I and Jesus goes you're my special possession that's
[00:42:14] who you are and Moses is going to learn and he's going to begin to understand that through our weaknesses when we surrender our life to God God's strength works through our weaknesses amen when we begin to say, all right, God,
[00:42:29] you would be in control.
[00:42:30] There's many things in my life that God's asked me to do and I didn't want to do it.
[00:42:36] But God worked and moved my life and he spoke to me through his word, through prayer, through the spirit of God guiding me and I've learned in time those moments when I don't want to do something
[00:42:47] and I can come up with every excuse possibly you can imagine.
[00:42:52] I've learned just step forward and when I step forward, you know who always shows up God does and I am blown away by who he is I encourage you keep your eyes on Jesus be the person of prayer read the scripture even if it's just a little bit on a
[00:43:10] daily talk to him pray to him invite him into your situation eyes on him and keep showing up and he's already there waiting for you if you want to know where God is at go out and serve
[00:43:23] tell someone about Jesus you're going to find them real fast you'll be nervous you'll be scared and you'll be in God saying in your weaknesses I will become strong in you and everybody will know that
[00:43:36] I am the great I am not you but God is with you he that's the beauty of our God we are a special possession he loves us and he cares for us and Moses and Aaron are going to learn we're just
[00:43:48] going to keep showing up they don't want to they feel unworthy they feel like they're unqualified and they were but God works through us when God calls us he calls us when God gives us that nudge
[00:44:00] to go text that person to go share that verse to go pray with that person to be a person of character in the workplace we're at home when nobody's watching God sees that and God uses that
[00:44:10] and when we as men and women are willing to surrender to God God will move in powerful ways we can trust God because he fulfills his promises we can trust him we can count on him we can hold
[00:44:23] on to him, and the Holy Spirit will empower us. He'll give us the strength that we need. Exodus 6, 28.
[00:44:29] Again, you're going to hear Moses whining, and if we're honest, a lot of us are really good at whining, all right? Moses 6, 28. Now, when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, he said to him, I am the Lord.
[00:44:42] Tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything I tell you. But Moses said to the Lord, since I speak with faltering lips why would pharaoh listen to me it's repeated this is repeated this is repeated i am not your guy i don't want to do this no one likes me they hate me the israelites said moses
[00:45:00] you've made us obnoxious to pharaoh this isn't a bad spot this is a really difficult spot and we face those difficult spots but the great i am is with us and i just want to begin to wrap
[00:45:17] up our morning with these beautiful passages. But as Pastor Tim gave me five and six, you read five and you read the first part of six, you get excited like God promises God's going to be there
[00:45:32] even in difficult situations. But has anybody ever gotten a Bible and you see this lineage like the father of so-and-so is a father and a father and a father and so and you're like, what I do with that? And I'm sitting there like, all right, Lord, I've been doing this for a while.
[00:45:48] You've took me to Bible school. There's gotta be a meeting for this lineage. And guess what? There's a beautiful meeting of this lineage that you would see in Exodus 6. At the end of Exodus 6,
[00:46:00] it gets into this beautiful passage. It's 13 through 27. And I just want you to understand what it is. God is reminding Moses and Aaron of who they are. We need to be reminded of who we
[00:46:14] are in Christ, right? And so this picture that God paints to Moses here carries on to us today.
[00:46:23] This is unbelievable. The Bible is so incredible. It is so cool. This message in Exodus comes full circle to us today. And so the background of this lineage, the background of what's taking place here Moses and Aaron are reminded of who they've come from in the in the Israel nation there's 12
[00:46:43] tribes each tribe has their own function their own purpose well Moses and Aaron come from the tribe of the Levites this is the the priestly this is the priesthood this is the tribe that's to be people of prayer that's supposed to share the word of God to lead and guide and God's got
[00:47:01] to remind them of who they are you come from the priesthood you are the people that are to lead and guide and be concerned for the people of God you are to lead and when we put our faith in Christ
[00:47:14] that's who we are we are part of this priesthood and let's set this up Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14 therefore since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven Jesus the son of God
[00:47:29] let us hold firmly to the faith we profess for we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are
[00:47:43] yet he did not sin listen to this verse let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need Aaron and Moses
[00:48:02] started this journey and this journey leads to this lineage to Jesus the great high priest and Jesus is telling us hey I know your fear I know your pain I know the temptation but our great high priest
[00:48:22] didn't sin amen and then he became the spotless sacrifice for us that he gave his life Jesus came he lived he died but he didn't stay dead three days later he rose again and then he promised he's coming back again
[00:48:39] and then all on top of that he left his holy spirit for whenever we ask him into our life the presence of God is here and the presence of God is all around that's how good our God is
[00:48:49] and so this high priest that we have in the name of Jesus I don't have to go to man I just go right to Jesus I go right to the king of kings I invite him into my situation and he says come to my
[00:49:06] throne with confidence and you will receive mercy and grace so you know how to walk through your situation because Jesus prays for us Jesus is here Jesus loves you and if you don't know Christ is
[00:49:19] your Lord and Savior he would love to offer you that gift today and all you got to do is receive it all you got to do is believe believe Jesus came he lived he died he rose again he ascended
[00:49:30] on high he's coming back that's a big ask I know it is but if we recognize that I'm a sinner and he paid that price I have salvation and we'd love to talk to you more about that but as you put your
[00:49:43] faith in Christ check out this passage 1st Peter 2 9 but you are a chosen people a royal priesthood a holy nation god's special possession that you may declare the praises of him who called you out
[00:50:02] of darkness into this wonderful light being a part of the priesthood of god means having direct access to god representing god's others wow when we put our faith in christ we get to come into god's holiness of the great i am and then we get to begin to understand and that's why we need
[00:50:26] to spend time with him in prayer and in the word and come into church and looking for ways to serve others because then we begin to recognize, wow, I'm chosen. I'm a royal priesthood. We get to
[00:50:40] carry on the duties of Moses and Aaron. How cool is that? That I'm a holy nation. That I'm God's special possession. That you and I get to declare the praises of God to people in darkness so they
[00:50:56] can come to the light that's who we're called to be and we put our faith in christ we are now part of this priesthood that started all the way back even before moses and aaron and they bore this
[00:51:08] hinge point to move it forward and you and i get to be a part of this priesthood not man but god we worship the one true god there is only one god and he proved it by coming back to life
[00:51:25] and showing himself to over 500 people at one opportunity, at one time, to show that he was God, that he's not just a God of promises, but he's a God of fulfillment.
[00:51:37] He doesn't just talk.
[00:51:39] He is a God of action.
[00:51:41] And the God of action wants to move on in your life.
[00:51:43] And we wrestle with our identity, the world attacks us, of who we are, that we're not good enough.
[00:51:49] And that's why we need to be reminded, no, you're a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation God's special possession that we in Hebrews 4 we get to go into his throne room of love and grace and he wants to work and move in our life in that situation that trouble
[00:52:07] whatever it is just invite the great high priest Jesus into it let him in let him come and work on your life let him encourage you say God these are my struggles but when you stay faithful and you
[00:52:23] take those small steps. God is using your life in incredible ways that you may never even see but God's such a good God and he lets us see some of them. He lets us be a part of his story and
[00:52:35] it's incredible. Know that God loves you, that God cares for you, he is a great I am, he is Yahweh and he knows you, he sees you, he hears you and as we continue on in Exodus, we got to wait till
[00:52:48] next week to see what happens. Moses is on the edge. He's like, God, I don't want to go to Pharaoh anymore. I'm done. The people hate me. Pharaoh hates me. But we need to be people that say, all right, God,
[00:53:02] I need your help today. I'm going to take that step of faith today. I'm going to keep going. I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to listen to the lies that are in my head. I'm not going to listen
[00:53:12] that I'm not worth it. I'm a nobody. I'm not giving up today. Jesus, give me that strength.
[00:53:17] God taught Moses and Aaron not to give up Jesus never gave up God taught me never to give up to keep my eyes on him and he will come through and time after time after time he has
[00:53:30] I've seen God set people free and if you need that light and you need to be set free the great high priest is here amen the king of kings and we just get to go right to Jesus
[00:53:42] directly and we get to be a representation of Jesus to others It's incredible. God loves you. He hears you. He sees you. He knows you. The great I am, the great Yahweh is your God and he wants to be your God if you don't know him yet. His hands extended to you
[00:54:01] of love and grace. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for who you are. God, your love is incredible. Jesus, your care, your concern for me and for us is unbelievable. God, there is
[00:54:21] health situations here, and some are not even here today because they're in a struggle.
[00:54:27] There's mental health issues that we're struggling through. There's fear, there's anxiety, there's big shifts in our life we're looking at. God, am I supposed to be here or not supposed to be here. God, where am I supposed to land for work? What's the next step in my life? God, I've got
[00:54:47] family members that need you really bad, Jesus, and they're running from you. But God, I feel like running. And I pray that you just would invite Jesus into your situation and trust him and be a
[00:55:02] person that's faithful to God, even when you're frustrated. And it's okay to say, God, where are you, it's okay to cry out. He knows. God, make yourself known to everyone here today. God, let your presence come and move in a way that only you can to give people comfort and hope and strength.
[00:55:27] God, I grew up in darkness, and God, you brought me out of that darkness into your marvelous light.
[00:55:34] God, help me continue to be someone that shares your light. Help us all continue to share your love, your gospel, your light, and if anybody's stuck right now, Jesus, go to them. God, you tell me that
[00:55:49] you're the great high priest. You tell me that I can go into your throne room, and I can walk into your mercy, and I can walk into your love, and I can walk into your grace. Well, Jesus, I ask you and I
[00:56:03] invite you to move upon your people today. I ask you to show up right in their circumstance, right and their situation and even those in this room we're sitting here and God you've been good and
[00:56:16] we're in a good spot God continue to hold them to you continue to keep their eyes on you so they can be part of that royal priesthood that displays God's light to people God just move in our midst
[00:56:31] bless our service as we hear what you're doing and how you you mobilize us and you use us and just let our last song of worship just be honoring to you.
[00:56:46] We love you, God, and we ask this in your name, Jesus.
[00:56:48] Amen.
[00:56:49] I'm gonna invite Pastor Tim.
[00:56:50] He's got to share something with us today.
[00:56:52] Amen.

[00:56:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:56:53] Thank you, Sean.
[00:56:54] Let's give Sean a big hand there.
[00:56:55] Thank you, brother.
[00:56:56] Appreciate you bringing the word.
[00:56:59] Next week, I'll be picking up there at Exodus chapter seven.
[00:57:02] We're gonna look at the plagues.
[00:57:06] Really interesting.
[00:57:08] We're gonna talk about some of the more challenging questions you know uh it says god hardened pharaoh's heart and then it says pharaoh hardened his heart and who who actually hardened pharaoh's heart and and why and what does that
[00:57:21] mean we're going to look at the different plagues and and what they represent and uh very very interesting stuff so i invite you uh to be back with us uh again next week but just before we go
[00:57:33] today. I have some bittersweet news to share with you. Billy and Melissa Pend have been with us for over five years. Billy is one of our main male vocalists here, and Melissa as well has been one
[00:57:51] of our vocalists. Their daughter, Cadence, is one of our drummers, and Carson, and the other cadence you know and carson is on on camera in the back and they have just they have just been
[00:58:06] such a big part of our church and uh i'm excited and happy for them billy is going to become the worship leader at a church up in north naples and so it'll be in full-time ministry and so we are
[00:58:19] so encouraged and blessed for them and uh we just want to bless them as they go and minister uh i believe uh carson and and cadence are are probably going to be around here with us as well but uh
[00:58:32] billy and melissa will be will be heading up there and so we just want to uh bless them and pray for them as they go so uh would you guys come up here and the church family would you stand and let's
[00:58:44] play let's pray together uh for them our heavenly father we come before you this morning and we thank you for this incredible family god thank you for bringing them to venture all these years thank you for the way that they have ministered and blessed us the way they've used their talents
[00:59:03] to bring glory to you God I pray that you would go before them that you would go with them and that God you would bless this next chapter of their lives God as I believe that you're going
[00:59:16] to use them in an incredible way as they lead worship as they as they really begin to minister in this new church, God, that you would just really bless them in a powerful way.
[00:59:28] And Father, they would continue to point people to you. And so God, would you just put your loving arms around them and God, may they feel the love that we have for them today and how much we truly
[00:59:41] appreciate all that they have done and the way they have ministered with us over all of these years so father we just give you the glory for what you're going to do it's so exciting to see
[00:59:52] them now going into this next phase uh god we just ask for your incredible blessing upon them in jesus name we pray and all god's people said amen would you give a big hand to billy melissa

[01:00:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:00:02] and their whole family thank you thank you all so much it's been an honor to be able to lead you in worship let's sing this song together it's called a gratitude we're thankful for so much
[01:00:14] aren't we? We have a gracious Father in heaven who loves us. Let's sing this together.

[01:01:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[01:01:03] Come on, lift this up.
[01:01:04] So I'll throw up my head and praise you again and again.
[01:01:12] Cause all that I have, I've got one.
[01:02:58] Cause you've got an inside of the.
[01:03:07] Come on, let's all join together.