Beyond the Excuses: Finding Christ in the Call of Moses

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Good morning, Watermark Church.
[00:03:25] It is such a joy to get to worship God together this morning.
[00:03:38] This song we're about to sing is us telling God that we are here for Him, here to worship Him.

[00:03:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
So let's raise our voices together as a church and give Him the praise that He always deserves.
[00:03:50] We are here for you.
[00:04:15] We are here for you.
[00:04:15] We are here for you.
[00:04:16] We are here for you.
[00:04:16] We are here for you.

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
We are here for you We are here for you To you our hearts are open Nothing here is hidden You are our one desire You alone are holy Only you are

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Let your fire fall down Let us go Be your anthem You know it now Fill the skies We are here for you We are here for you
[00:05:23] What's dead?
[00:05:40] Come to life.
[00:05:40] We are here for you.
[00:05:40] We are here for you.
[00:05:41] To you our hearts are open.
[00:05:51] You alone are holy, only You are worthy, God, let Your fire fall down Your hearts are open, nothing here is hidden, You are our one desire
[00:06:51] We welcome you with praise We welcome you with praise Almighty God of love We welcome you in this place Let every heart
[00:07:12] Almighty God of love Be welcomed in this place We welcome you with praise We welcome you with praise Almighty God of love Be welcomed in this place
[00:07:42] Welcome by our praise, Almighty God of love,

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Beautiful job worship team.
[00:08:02] Good morning Watermark Church.
[00:08:03] My name is Courtney and I'm so excited you are here worshiping with us today.
[00:08:08] Let me share a couple of things going on here at Watermark.
[00:08:12] First off, we are collecting donations for Thanksgiving meals and for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.
[00:08:19] So you can scan the QR code in your bulletin to find out what we're looking for and bring those back.
[00:08:25] If you are new or newer to Watermark and you are interested in learning more about our statement of faith, our structure, and what it looks like to partner with Watermark Church, we encourage you to join us for Diving Deeper next Sunday.
[00:08:38] Lunch and childcare will be provided and today is the last day to sign up.
[00:08:43] You can check out the QR code or sign up on the cart in the lobby.
[00:08:47] Up next, what do we have next?
[00:08:52] Oh, decorating for Christmas!
[00:08:54] How could I forget that one?
[00:08:56] So, we deck the halls pretty big here at Watermark Church and we're looking for some helping hands to stick around after second service on November 23rd.
[00:09:05] If you're able and willing, please join us for that.
[00:09:08] And then last but not least, Jingle and Mingle is around the corner.
[00:09:11] It's going to be on December 7th.
[00:09:13] It's going to be a fun time.
[00:09:14] Fellowship, Caroling, Desserts, all the fun, so be sure to mark your calendars for that.
[00:09:21] Alright, let's continue with worship.

[00:09:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
More than just a name we throw around Cause yours holds power More than just a faith to talk about And forget Sunday morning Oh my soul, don't you forget Of the days he's never left you What makes you think that what comes next He's not holding to
[00:10:10] You're so good to remind us That this is your story You're so good to remind us Cause you're the Alpha, Omega Beginning and the end There's no God beside Him All glory we will give
[00:10:39] You are good, it is your nature Everything you do is good
[00:11:13] You're so good to remind us that this is your story You're so good to remind us You're the Alpha, Omega, Beginning and the End There's no God beside you, all glory reigns
[00:11:46] You are good, it is your nature.
[00:12:09] Oh, everything you do is good.
[00:12:10] Oh, you are good, it is your nature.
[00:12:10] Oh, everything you do is good.
[00:12:27] You are good, it is your nature Everything you do is good
[00:12:54] The stories we'll tell, we'll see and know it for ourselves He's so good, He's so good, He's so good, yes He is The stories we'll tell, we'll see and know it for ourselves He's so good, He's so good, He's so good
[00:13:23] Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy
[00:14:22] Everything you do is good.
[00:14:31] You are good, it is your nature.
[00:14:37] Everything you do is good, yes it is.
[00:14:43] Oh, you are good, it is your nature.
[00:14:51] Oh, everything you do is good.

[00:15:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
I am an instrument of exaltation And I was born to lift a name above all names You hear the melody of all creation But there's a song of praise that only I can bring

[00:15:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Who else is worthy?

[00:15:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Who else is worthy?
[00:15:49] There is no one, only you Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:16:00] Who else is worthy?
[00:16:04] There is no one
[00:16:07] Oh near you Jesus You are the infinite God of the ages And yet you chose to make my heart a dwelling place You healed my brokenness Showed me your glory
[00:16:33] To our songs of thanksgiving even angels sing Who else is worthy?
[00:16:57] Who else is worthy?
[00:16:57] There is no one, only you Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:16:59] Who else is worthy?
[00:17:01] There is no one, only you, Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:17:27] Who else is worthy?
[00:17:27] There is no one, only you, Jesus Who else is worthy?
[00:17:28] Who else is worthy?
[00:17:29] There is no one, only you, Jesus We only need you, Jesus Oh, no one else, just the Lamb of God
[00:18:00] Holy you Jesus
[00:18:06] The Lamb of God anointed one Who was and is and is to come Seated on the throne above Holy, Holy, Righteous One Who shed His blood Who proved to us the Father's love Jesus Christ be lifted up
[00:18:31] Holy Holy The Lamb of God anointed one Who was and is and is to come Seated on the throne above Holy Holy The righteous one who shed his blood To prove to us the Father's love Jesus Christ be lifted up
[00:19:19] Who else is worthy?
[00:19:27] There is no one, only You, Jesus

[00:19:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
There is no one else worthy but you, Jesus.
[00:19:57] And you have given us songs.
[00:20:00] You have given us these words to praise you with.
[00:20:09] Songs not even angels sing.
[00:20:13] And we are not missing it.
[00:20:16] We are using the breath that you have given us
[00:20:19] To lift up our praise to the Son of God who is on the throne, who is the only one who can take our sin away and who has by dying on the cross and as our hope for salvation.
[00:20:37] It is only by you, Jesus.
[00:20:38] There is no one like you.
[00:20:40] There is no one else worthy.
[00:20:44] Jesus, we are in all of you.
[00:20:48] We posture ourselves in this moment for any part of us that is distracted or thinking about something we need to get done later today or what's next.
[00:20:59] Help us to be present so we can see your glory.
[00:21:05] Thank you, Jesus.
[00:21:08] just thank you Jesus it's the song of praise that flows from an overflowing cup of gratitude for all that you've done for us you have our focus you have our attention you have our hearts we will continue worshiping as we hear the word that you've prepared for us through our shepherd and it's in your name we pray amen

[00:21:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Well, good morning.
[00:21:55] It's great to see y'all today.
[00:21:58] So glad you're here on this, what are we, fallback?
[00:22:01] We fell back last night, right?
[00:22:03] How many of you enjoyed that extra hour?
[00:22:05] Yeah?
[00:22:06] Did you sleep?
[00:22:07] Did you use it to sleep?
[00:22:08] How many of you did that?
[00:22:09] A number of you.
[00:22:11] How many of you blew it on the World Series?
[00:22:13] You stayed up and watched that?
[00:22:14] Yeah, a lot of you did that or watched a football game.
[00:22:17] Maybe there's a lot you can do with that extra hour.
[00:22:19] I told Lori, I said yesterday, we got 25 hours today to blow, right?
[00:22:24] I slept on mine, I'll be honest with you.
[00:22:27] I probably slept too long because I think I pinched a nerve in my back last night.
[00:22:31] Got a numb right hand today, but I'll be okay.
[00:22:34] Hey, I'm glad you're here.
[00:22:36] It's going to be a great day for us.
[00:22:37] And I just wanted to say October was a really good month for me because it was Pastor Appreciation Month.
[00:22:43] And you guys were so kind to me, to Lori, so many encouraging words.
[00:22:47] Thoughtful cards, so many generous gifts.
[00:22:51] I just thank you for that.
[00:22:52] Last week I got a card and I know you're dying to know what was in that card, Pastor, right?
[00:22:57] So it was a $250 gift card to Big Daddy's, which I enjoy.
[00:23:02] I love Big Daddy's.
[00:23:03] So I'm going to take my whole family over there, right?
[00:23:06] We're going to celebrate.
[00:23:07] We're going to celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month.
[00:23:10] So I just appreciate you.
[00:23:12] And I want you to know that every pastor needs a congregation to care for, to love, to disciple.
[00:23:19] And I'm so thankful to have Watermark Church.
[00:23:22] This is an amazing church.
[00:23:23] You are amazing people and I couldn't be more blessed.
[00:23:28] And the truth is I couldn't do it alone either.
[00:23:31] I have an amazing staff.
[00:23:33] You have an amazing staff here at Watermark Church.
[00:23:36] And I just wanted to introduce you to these guys in case you don't know who they are.
[00:23:40] I think it would be great if you could just tell them how much you appreciate them.
[00:23:43] Give them a high five.
[00:23:45] I'm sure that they would very much appreciate that.
[00:23:48] So I'll tell you who they are really quickly.
[00:23:50] You'll see their titles on the screen and their faces and I'll give you their names.
[00:23:54] Mark Cole heads up our Renew ministry.
[00:23:57] Yeah, he does a great job with that ministry.
[00:24:00] We are blessed to have him.
[00:24:02] Jeff Doubleday heads up our, yeah.
[00:24:06] Jeff Doubleday heads up our production team.
[00:24:09] He's got an incredible team, and they make us look good, right?
[00:24:12] They make everything look nice in here, and so we're grateful and sound good to have them.
[00:24:17] We got Crystal Franklin.
[00:24:18] She's new to our team.
[00:24:20] She's our Kidsport Ministry Assistant, and we're excited to have her, especially in this season.
[00:24:26] You'll find out in just a minute.
[00:24:28] Linda DiTrollio Fritch has been with us a while.
[00:24:30] She's a treasurer.
[00:24:32] She's been with me since the days of the cafeteria at Troutman Middle School, so I'm grateful to have her.
[00:24:37] Also with me since those days is Kim Morrison.
[00:24:41] She heads up our creative arts team.
[00:24:44] We're grateful to have her.
[00:24:46] A newer member to the staff is Brooke Reese.
[00:24:49] Yeah.
[00:24:50] Brooke handles all of our teams, right?
[00:24:54] She's the person who, if you see something going on around here, she's probably got her hands in it.
[00:24:58] She's a big part of what we do here at Watermark.
[00:25:00] We're grateful to have her.
[00:25:02] Lori Settle has been around a while.
[00:25:04] I'm grateful to have her.
[00:25:06] Couldn't do what I do without her.
[00:25:08] She heads up our life group ministry.
[00:25:09] She's in charge of our international missions, which is really emerging for us.
[00:25:13] We're excited about that.
[00:25:14] And then Ed Spicer heads up facilities.
[00:25:18] Ed does a really good job keeping this place beautiful.
[00:25:21] We couldn't, we wouldn't have such a great space without Ed taking care of this place.
[00:25:26] Corey Van Dyke heads up our Kids Fort ministry.
[00:25:31] Corey has taken that role over for my wife in the past few months and she's just doing a bang-up job.
[00:25:37] She also had a baby this week.
[00:25:39] She and Nick, yeah!
[00:25:41] They're excited.
[00:25:42] Welcome baby Ivy into the world.
[00:25:45] And knowing Corrie, she'll be back here next Sunday.
[00:25:48] Don't hold her to that.
[00:25:50] I've told her, take some time.
[00:25:51] But Corrie works hard.
[00:25:52] She's already working, I'm sure.
[00:25:55] And then also, we got Harriet Wooten, who heads up our... Yeah.
[00:26:01] Harriet heads up our worship ministry and our student ministry.
[00:26:04] She's a hardworking gal and she's got a really high capacity like so many on our staff.
[00:26:09] They can do so much and they never complain and we're blessed with that.
[00:26:14] You know, because Harriet has so much to do, we brought on an intern to help her and that's Samantha Wooten.
[00:26:20] We're glad to have Samantha.
[00:26:22] Yeah.
[00:26:23] Samantha is Harriet's sister-in-law and it's a talented family and we're blessed to have all those those folks with us look all of these staff members make me as a pastor look really good right I couldn't do what I do without them and the truth is a faithful loving church family plus an awesome gifted staff equals a blessed and very happy pastor
[00:26:47] So I'm just thankful.
[00:26:49] Together, we make an impression and we leave a mark for Jesus Christ.
[00:26:54] Amen?
[00:26:55] Amen.
[00:26:56] So thank you all.
[00:26:58] Alright.
[00:27:00] So today we're continuing a series we started a number of weeks ago.
[00:27:03] We're in part seven today of Moses' story.
[00:27:07] It's a phenomenal story and I'll just give you a little background.
[00:27:11] He's a Hebrew man who was raised as an Egyptian prince.
[00:27:15] They wanted to save his people from Egyptian captivity, from slavery, but
[00:27:19] Who at the age of 40 tried to do that on his own power, in his own timing.
[00:27:25] And in the process he made some serious missteps in his life that caused him to flee to the desert land of Midian where he started a new life for himself there.
[00:27:35] And in Midian, Moses would spend the next 40 years
[00:27:40] As a shepherd pushing scrawny sheep around that barren land, right?
[00:27:46] So, but after 40 years, the Lord finally showed up and He spoke up in Moses' life in a very unusual way in a burning bush.
[00:27:55] And we talked about that last week.
[00:27:57] Now, why do you think that God showed up to speak to Moses at that time in His life in that way?
[00:28:04] You know why I think He showed up then?
[00:28:07] Because Moses was now humble and he was available.
[00:28:11] He was ready.
[00:28:12] He may not know it yet, but God knew it.
[00:28:15] He was ready to serve him in a very vital role.
[00:28:18] And so God called him.
[00:28:20] He said in Exodus 3.10, So now go, I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.
[00:28:28] So today we get to hear Moses' response to God's call on his life.
[00:28:32] So how do you think Moses will respond?
[00:28:35] Some of you know, right?
[00:28:36] Spoiler alert on that.
[00:28:37] Do you think Moses is going to be eager to go?
[00:28:39] Do you think he's going to be excited about, ready and raring to go back to Egypt?
[00:28:44] Do you think he's going to be looking forward to facing Pharaoh?
[00:28:48] Here's a spoiler alert.
[00:28:49] Moses was not excited about the prospects of going back to Egypt to rescue his people.
[00:28:54] In fact, he came up with plenty of reasons, with plenty of excuses about why he was the exact wrong guy for that task, as we'll see today.
[00:29:04] You know, the truth is, God may be calling you to a particular task in your life, to an area of ministry that you've been reluctant to go for whatever reason.
[00:29:15] Some of you think that you're the wrong person for the job.
[00:29:18] Some of you may think that others are better suited, they're better equipped to do whatever it is that God is calling you to do.
[00:29:26] Some of you may not be paying attention to the Lord.
[00:29:29] Or maybe you think He doesn't have anything to say to you.
[00:29:33] Maybe you have plenty of excuses when you get a nudge from God to do something in your life.
[00:29:38] Here's what I want you to understand, that no matter where you are in your faith journey,
[00:29:42] No matter where you are in life's journey, I don't believe you're here today by accident.
[00:29:46] I don't believe you're tuned in today by accident.
[00:29:48] I believe that God has brought you here on purpose and for a purpose today.
[00:29:53] I think He's got something very important to teach you about how He calls you and when He calls you and how He equips you for His service.
[00:30:03] You may feel ill-prepared, maybe ill-equipped, but just like Moses, God can and God will use you.
[00:30:12] But before we dig into his word today, let's pray.
[00:30:17] Our Father, I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to be in this house with all of these people.
[00:30:23] God, to be able to worship you in unison, corporately in this way.
[00:30:27] God, to be able to honor you.
[00:30:28] You are worthy of our adoration.
[00:30:31] And God, we're so grateful that you speak to your people, that you spoke to Moses.
[00:30:35] And God, I know that in Moses' story,
[00:30:38] that you have much to teach us and so I pray today God that you open every person's heart in this room today open their ears their eyes their minds to receive what it is that you have for them today I know that they're here on purpose and for a purpose so God speak to them today I trust that you will I pray it in Jesus holy and precious name amen
[00:31:04] So again, after 40 years in Midian, he's crafting this life of what seemed like relative obscurity, and it really was.
[00:31:12] Moses hears from the Lord in this burning bush in the middle of nowhere.
[00:31:17] And again, I'm going to read that verse in verse 10 of Exodus 3.
[00:31:20] It says, So now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.
[00:31:29] Now there are a couple of things about that passage, that verse, that I want you to note that are really important.
[00:31:35] And you might write this down.
[00:31:37] That God is not suggesting that Moses go and bring his people out of Egypt.
[00:31:42] He's calling him to do that.
[00:31:44] And let me be clear.
[00:31:46] God doesn't say, Moses, I want you to consider going.
[00:31:50] I want you to think about this long and hard.
[00:31:52] I want you to consider the possibility of you going to do this.
[00:31:57] He says, no.
[00:31:58] I am sending you.
[00:32:00] And his words are very clear.
[00:32:01] I want you to go.
[00:32:02] And when God says go...
[00:32:04] You can't say no.
[00:32:06] You just can't.
[00:32:07] Well, the truth is, you can.
[00:32:09] You have the free will to do that.
[00:32:12] But things won't go well for you if you do.
[00:32:14] I'm just saying that in advance.
[00:32:16] I want you to note something else really important about what God says here in verse 10.
[00:32:20] He says, I am sending you.
[00:32:24] I am sending you.
[00:32:25] To be clear, when God sends you, He prepares you.
[00:32:27] He equips you and He empowers you.
[00:32:31] If you hang around Watermark very long, you'll hear me say what God calls you to, He equips you for.
[00:32:39] And I would encourage you to write that down, learn that.
[00:32:42] It was true for Moses, and it's true for you.
[00:32:46] It's true for me.
[00:32:48] Now Moses wasn't so sure he was prepared or equipped to do what God was calling him to do, as we'll see from his multiple excuses today.
[00:32:56] But God answers Moses' objections again and again.
[00:33:01] And God will do the same in your life.
[00:33:04] You can believe it.
[00:33:05] So how does Moses initially respond to God's call on his life?
[00:33:09] Some of you know this.
[00:33:11] He really in a phrase says, Who?
[00:33:15] Me?
[00:33:16] Right?
[00:33:17] So let's take a look at verse 11 and following.
[00:33:19] But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?
[00:33:26] Moses says, Who me, God?
[00:33:28] Who am I to go do this?
[00:33:30] Pharaoh, eat me alive.
[00:33:31] Look at me.
[00:33:32] I'm way past my prime.
[00:33:34] I'm 80 years old here.
[00:33:36] There was a time when I felt like I could do this, but not anymore.
[00:33:40] That was 40 years ago, God.
[00:33:43] I'm not that guy anymore.
[00:33:45] But I want you to look at God's response to Moses' objection here.
[00:33:49] Look what he says in verse 12.
[00:33:51] God said, I will be with you.
[00:33:56] Listen, I would circle that phrase.
[00:33:57] I think that's an important phrase, don't you?
[00:33:59] And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you.
[00:34:06] When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.
[00:34:11] So God essentially says to Moses, You're right.
[00:34:14] You can't do this on your own.
[00:34:16] But the truth is you couldn't do it on your own 40 years ago either.
[00:34:21] And you can't do it now.
[00:34:22] Accept that.
[00:34:24] I will be with you.
[00:34:27] You see, those five words change everything, don't they?
[00:34:30] For Moses, for you, for me.
[00:34:34] You see, when God's calling the shots, when He's leading the way, when He's paving our path,
[00:34:41] Man, there's nothing that we can't do for Christ's sake.
[00:34:44] And God was saying to Moses, you watch what I do.
[00:34:47] See, this is not about you.
[00:34:49] It's not about what you're going to do.
[00:34:52] It's about what I'm going to do.
[00:34:53] I just need you to be obedient to what I'm calling you to do.
[00:34:59] Listen, maybe God has called you to do something you feel ill-prepared to do.
[00:35:03] You feel ill-equipped to do, whether it's discipling a new believer, whether it's discipling your own children, whether it's leading a lost friend to Christ, or a coworker, or a classmate, or a teammate to Christ.
[00:35:16] Maybe it's answering hard questions from a skeptic about Christianity.
[00:35:21] Maybe it's serving in an unfamiliar role, even in Kids Fort, or another area of ministry in this church.
[00:35:28] I want you to know and believe this.
[00:35:30] What God calls you to, He equips you for.
[00:35:33] Again and again.
[00:35:35] So when God first called Moses, he didn't think he was the right guy for the job.
[00:35:39] In fact, he had plenty of reasons or excuses for why, in his mind, he was the wrong guy.
[00:35:46] Some of Moses' excuses, I'm going to give you a warning.
[00:35:49] They sound very familiar.
[00:35:51] You're going to see that.
[00:35:53] By the way, I remember when the Lord called me to start Watermark Church.
[00:35:57] And after that initial calling that came during the sermon of a really good friend of mine, I felt sure that the Lord was calling me to start a church which would be Watermark Church.
[00:36:07] But I remember after a
[00:36:08] A couple of weeks, doubt beginning to creep into my life, right?
[00:36:13] You know, me thinking thoughts like, I can't do this.
[00:36:16] There are better guys for this than me.
[00:36:19] You know, surely the Lord would tap someone else to do this.
[00:36:23] Then I remember having a conversation with Lori one morning as we were getting ready.
[00:36:27] I'll never forget it for the day.
[00:36:28] And I said to her, I said, Lori, I don't know.
[00:36:32] I said, I'm just, I'm having my doubts.
[00:36:34] Do you really think that I'm up for this?
[00:36:36] I mean, I'm pushing 40.
[00:36:38] I look back on that, I'm like, 40's really young.
[00:36:41] What are you talking about?
[00:36:42] That's really young.
[00:36:44] But at the time, I was thinking, that's old, right?
[00:36:46] And I said to her, I said, church planting's a young man's game.
[00:36:51] I said it's gonna take years you understand years of cultivation of investment of time of energy of emotion and building building a church and I just don't know if I'm God's man for that and I don't know exactly what she said to me but I remember in general what she said and she looked at me and she said Joel listen I understand your reservations
[00:37:18] But I know that when you feel insecure, when you feel unsure, that the Lord says to you, trust me to do what you can't.
[00:37:27] Understand that.
[00:37:28] Trust that He will be with you.
[00:37:30] In fact, in other words, what He calls you to, He equips you for.
[00:37:37] Right?
[00:37:37] I mean, thank God I didn't turn my back on His call that day because if I had, where would we be today?
[00:37:43] Right?
[00:37:44] And thank God for my wife who would be faithful and would say the hard things that I needed to hear to reassure me, to encourage me.
[00:37:54] I'm so grateful for her.
[00:37:57] You know, we need people like our loving spouses in our lives and friends and fellow believers.
[00:38:02] We just need those people.
[00:38:04] Moses was having a hard time believing that he was the right man for the job, even if God was with him.
[00:38:10] And look, I can understand why he thought that.
[00:38:13] Now I get it, can't you?
[00:38:14] I mean, he was a withered 80-year-old shepherd who had spent the past 40 years with his sheep and his little family here.
[00:38:24] He had essentially been put out to pasture years earlier.
[00:38:27] Now God was calling him to go toe-to-toe with one of the most powerful kings in the world.
[00:38:35] He had been away from Egypt for all of those years, understand.
[00:38:39] None of the Israelites would have any idea who he was.
[00:38:42] Let's be brutally honest.
[00:38:44] I mean, doesn't Moses seem like an unlikely leader?
[00:38:48] An unlikely choice for this important job leading an entire nation for the grip of a mighty Pharaoh?
[00:38:56] Yeah.
[00:38:58] That's the way it seemed to Moses too.
[00:39:01] But not God.
[00:39:02] You see, the truth is the Lord looks much deeper than you and I ever can.
[00:39:07] In fact, He sees what we don't.
[00:39:10] He sees the depths of a person's heart.
[00:39:13] I want you to look at this verse in 2 Chronicles 16, 9.
[00:39:17] And I would encourage you to memorize this verse this week.
[00:39:21] For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.
[00:39:28] This is a verse to remember.
[00:39:30] You or someone in your life needs to hear this this week.
[00:39:34] They need it for encouragement.
[00:39:36] The Lord is always on the lookout for the right person, for the right job, for a particular task.
[00:39:42] And when He finds that person, you watch out.
[00:39:46] Because God's going to do what only God can do.
[00:39:49] Moses had the right heart.
[00:39:50] He just didn't realize it yet.
[00:39:52] But God would help him to figure that out.
[00:39:55] So I want you to take a look at the four excuses that Moses offers God following God's call on his life.
[00:40:02] And again, I'm going to give you some warning.
[00:40:04] These excuses, they're going to look kind of familiar.
[00:40:07] They might step on your toes a little bit.
[00:40:09] They do mine.
[00:40:11] And by the way, all of his excuses were born out of his personal experience.
[00:40:15] Insecurities.
[00:40:17] Moses made it about me but you watch what God says and how he answers Moses concerns, his objections again and again and he'll do the same thing in your life.
[00:40:28] Here's the first excuse Moses gave God.
[00:40:30] He said, God they won't respect me.
[00:40:35] Here's what he says in verse 13.
[00:40:37] Moses said to God, Suppose I go to the Israelites and I say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you.
[00:40:43] And they ask me, Well, what's his name?
[00:40:45] Then what shall I tell them?
[00:40:47] So before we hear God's answer, which is a great answer, I think it's important to think about where Moses is in this moment.
[00:40:54] Because Moses is essentially saying, Lord, these people aren't going to take me seriously.
[00:40:59] Now look at me.
[00:41:00] They're not going to respect me.
[00:41:02] They're going to want to know who sent me.
[00:41:05] God had a wonderful answer for Moses.
[00:41:07] Here it is in verse 14.
[00:41:09] God said to Moses, I am who I am.
[00:41:12] And I would circle that.
[00:41:15] This is what you're to say to the Israelites.
[00:41:17] I am has sent me to you.
[00:41:19] You know, this may seem like a really odd answer in English and it does appear odd, right?
[00:41:25] I am who I am.
[00:41:27] What does that even mean?
[00:41:28] But understand that the language of the Bible, the Old Testament was in Hebrew.
[00:41:33] So when that was written, these
[00:41:36] Letters in this phrase in the Hebrew language spell out God's name which is Yahweh maybe you've heard us sing songs that reference Yahweh and I always think about you know how do new believers hear that they probably hear us you know praising Yahweh and they're like who is that right who is that that's God's intimate and formal name in the Hebrew
[00:42:00] It speaks of his language.
[00:42:01] It speaks of his self-existence, of his self-sufficiency.
[00:42:06] All others are dependent on him for life and breath and existence.
[00:42:10] Yet he's dependent on no one.
[00:42:12] So God is saying to Moses, when they ask you who sent me,
[00:42:16] Here's what you can tell them.
[00:42:17] You tell them that the one and only self-existent, infinite being of the universe that God Almighty has sent you.
[00:42:26] That you represent Him.
[00:42:27] I AM has sent you.
[00:42:29] You tell them that.
[00:42:32] We could spend the rest of our time unpacking God's name here.
[00:42:35] In fact, I did a series way back on God's names.
[00:42:38] I'm going to reprise that one day.
[00:42:40] One of those names was Yahweh.
[00:42:42] But you need to understand this is the most intimate term for God.
[00:42:45] In the Hebrew language.
[00:42:46] So God was saying, Moses, you let the Hebrew, you let the Israelites know that the intimate God of Israel has sent you to be His representative.
[00:42:57] And understand, this is the same God that you and I serve, that we honor, that we represent with our lives.
[00:43:03] You never forget that.
[00:43:05] So God wanted to offer Moses some reassurance to build his confidence so he went on to give Moses two promises first to the elders regarding the elders of the Israelites here's what he says in verses 16 and following go assemble the elders of Israel and you say to them the Lord the God of your fathers the God of Abraham of Isaac and Jacob appeared to me and he said I watched over you
[00:43:29] And I have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
[00:43:33] And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt.
[00:43:39] The elders of Israel will listen to you.
[00:43:42] And then God shared this promise regarding what he would do with Pharaoh in verses 19 and following.
[00:43:48] But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.
[00:43:54] So I'll stretch out my hand and I'll strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them.
[00:44:00] After that, he'll let you go.
[00:44:04] What amazing assurances, right?
[00:44:07] God reassures Moses again and again.
[00:44:09] God was saying, look, this is a done deal.
[00:44:12] I've got this.
[00:44:13] This is going to happen.
[00:44:15] And this is how it's going to happen.
[00:44:16] So you be confident.
[00:44:18] Look, you may not feel like you have all the answers.
[00:44:20] You may not think they'll respect you.
[00:44:23] But listen, I do.
[00:44:24] And you represent me.
[00:44:26] You tell them, I am.
[00:44:28] Has sent you.
[00:44:30] Well, you'd think that'd be enough, right?
[00:44:33] For Moses?
[00:44:34] But it wasn't.
[00:44:35] He offers God a second excuse.
[00:44:39] They won't believe me, Moses says.
[00:44:41] They just won't believe me.
[00:44:43] Moses answers in verse 1 of chapter 4.
[00:44:46] What if they don't believe me or listen to me and say, the Lord didn't appear to you?
[00:44:52] Sounds like some kids on the playground, right?
[00:44:55] The Lord didn't appear to you.
[00:44:57] And Moses is saying, look at me, God.
[00:44:59] I'm this withered old shepherd.
[00:45:01] Nobody knows who I am.
[00:45:02] I'm going to look like some kind of fool to them.
[00:45:04] What if they don't believe me?
[00:45:06] How could they?
[00:45:08] So now Moses is really showing his insecurities, right?
[00:45:12] He fears being ridiculed.
[00:45:14] He fears being rejected.
[00:45:17] Can you relate?
[00:45:18] Because of your faith?
[00:45:20] Do you ever feel like people are going to ridicule you?
[00:45:22] That they're going to reject you because of your faith in Christ?
[00:45:26] The truth is, they probably will.
[00:45:29] But that's okay.
[00:45:31] That's nothing to fear.
[00:45:32] Because God is with you.
[00:45:34] You understand that?
[00:45:35] I will be with you.
[00:45:37] There seems to be a little disconnect here between what the Lord has already promised Moses and what Moses is feeling.
[00:45:44] I want you to understand this.
[00:45:45] God has already said, they will listen to you.
[00:45:49] And so now Moses is asking, well what if they don't listen to me?
[00:45:53] Well, God's already promised him that they will.
[00:45:56] See, this is starting to test God's patience just a little bit, and you can get it, right?
[00:46:02] You know, and also the fact that he's denying him is, you know, with his comments is really a bad idea too.
[00:46:08] It's never a good idea to deny God.
[00:46:10] I want you to note this.
[00:46:11] Write it down.
[00:46:13] Moses was so worried about what might happen that he didn't hear God say what would happen.
[00:46:21] His feelings were overwhelming the truth.
[00:46:25] Now I've said this about feelings many times.
[00:46:27] Feelings come and go.
[00:46:28] What do you know to be true?
[00:46:31] I'll tell you that.
[00:46:32] I'll ask you the same question.
[00:46:33] Feelings come and go.
[00:46:34] What is the truth?
[00:46:37] What matters?
[00:46:38] So Moses is playing this what if game with God.
[00:46:40] What if are the words of a worrier?
[00:46:44] And when you and I are constantly consumed by what if, and some of you are, then we're doubting God.
[00:46:51] You ever struggle with worry?
[00:46:53] Because if you say, yeah I do, then I'll bet, and I'm not a betting man, but I would venture
[00:47:00] A wager to say you're asking the question constantly, what if?
[00:47:04] And it's creating this worry, this worrisome spirit and attitude in your heart.
[00:47:09] Knowing that Moses was a worrier, and that you and I are prone to worry too, God wanted to reassure him.
[00:47:15] And he wanted to reassure us, to show him, to show us who he is.
[00:47:20] So take a look at verses 2 and following.
[00:47:22] Then the Lord said to him, what's that in your hand?
[00:47:26] Moses said, it's a staff.
[00:47:28] And the Lord said, well, throw it on the ground.
[00:47:30] So Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake and he ran from it.
[00:47:36] I would have too, right?
[00:47:38] And then the Lord said to him, reach out your hand and take it by the tail.
[00:47:42] Now I'm thinking like Moses here.
[00:47:44] I just ran from this snake and I would now.
[00:47:46] I don't want to touch this snake.
[00:47:48] that would have been my impression and I'm sure you would feel the same way but yet he did he reached down to his credit and he took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand I gotta give him credit for that I'm not sure I would have had the guts to do it so why did why did God do that
[00:48:07] Why did he do that?
[00:48:08] Yeah, Miss Deborah knows.
[00:48:10] To show Moses that he was capable of doing some pretty miraculous things.
[00:48:15] To show him what he was capable of.
[00:48:16] God was saying to Moses, if I can do this, you don't need to worry.
[00:48:21] You see?
[00:48:21] You don't need to worry.
[00:48:23] God had Moses' attention.
[00:48:24] And here's what happens next.
[00:48:25] Then the Lord said, put your hand inside your cloak.
[00:48:29] So Moses put his hand in his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous.
[00:48:35] It had become as white as snow.
[00:48:36] Now put it back into your cloak, God said.
[00:48:39] So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out again, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
[00:48:48] Now I want you to think about that.
[00:48:50] In a moment, Moses had the most dreaded disease known to man in that time, right?
[00:48:56] But on God's command, he was miraculously healed.
[00:49:00] Now as amazing as that was, it was nothing for God.
[00:49:05] It really wasn't.
[00:49:06] He could, he would do many more amazing, miraculous, awesome signs and miracles in Egypt.
[00:49:13] All Moses needed to do was stay out of the way.
[00:49:16] He didn't need to worry.
[00:49:18] God would make himself known and the people would believe.
[00:49:22] By the way, you don't need to worry either.
[00:49:27] Maybe God brought you here today just to hear that.
[00:49:30] Don't worry.
[00:49:32] Here's the third excuse Moses offered because he wasn't done.
[00:49:37] He said, they won't understand me.
[00:49:39] They just want God.
[00:49:41] In verse 10, Moses said to the Lord, Pardon your servant, Lord, I've never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you've spoken to your servant.
[00:49:49] I'm slow of speech and of tongue.
[00:49:52] And Moses had some serious concerns about his ability to communicate effectively.
[00:49:56] Some people say he had a speech impediment, and maybe he did.
[00:50:00] But he's essentially saying, please excuse me, Lord, but I'm a terrible public speaker.
[00:50:05] I'm the worst.
[00:50:06] I freeze up.
[00:50:08] I get tongue twisted.
[00:50:09] I get dry mouth.
[00:50:11] I get the trembles.
[00:50:12] My knees start knocking.
[00:50:13] People aren't even going to be able to understand me.
[00:50:16] I won't even be able to understand me.
[00:50:18] I'm not a great communicator, God.
[00:50:20] Let's take a look at some of those terms.
[00:50:39] and it's called Glossophobia for what it's worth and it is cited by many as the number one fear of people in general so you think about this in a room this size there are many dozens of people who are scared to death with the idea of speaking in public even to five or six people much less a thousand or a million people so how would you do that you know I thought about that this week about how you know
[00:51:04] How pervasive this fear is.
[00:51:07] And you think about it, you know, public speaking is more fearful to people than spiders, or snakes, or closed spaces, or heights, or even death.
[00:51:19] So you think about that, some people would rather die than speak in public, right?
[00:51:25] They just say, I'm not that person.
[00:51:27] And this is what Moses is saying to God, look God,
[00:51:31] I'm not a great public speaker it's not my thing I just have trouble formulating my thoughts I've got this impediment I just can't do it you know I just can't now that's not to say that Moses wasn't smart either because he was he was really smart you remember he was well educated I'm sure there was a time when he could hold him himself maybe in a in a group but he's probably always struggled with this to a certain degree and he had been out of this high thinking Egyptian culture for a long time keeping company with who sheep that's it
[00:52:01] He wasn't so sure he could deliver when the Lord really counted on him and needed him most.
[00:52:05] By the way, the Apostle Paul was not a great orator either by his own admission.
[00:52:12] He wasn't.
[00:52:13] In fact, he says this in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 1, When I came to you, I didn't come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
[00:52:26] You know, Paul wanted people to put their faith in God and His word to them.
[00:52:30] Paul would go on to say in verse 5, So that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power.
[00:52:39] So Paul nor the Lord wanted people to be impressed with man, but rather the Lord at work in and through him.
[00:52:46] And most importantly, the message
[00:52:48] That he proclaimed.
[00:52:50] Every pastor, every preacher should have this heart and this mindset.
[00:52:54] It's never about the man.
[00:52:56] It's always about the message.
[00:52:58] Do you understand that?
[00:53:00] Our message is what gives us authority.
[00:53:03] It's what makes us good in anyone's eyes.
[00:53:07] It's never about us, you see.
[00:53:10] And God continued to show patience with Moses, though his patience is waning here.
[00:53:16] God says, I hear your concerns, but let me tell you what I'm going to do.
[00:53:21] So in verse 11, the Lord said to him, Who gave human beings their mouths?
[00:53:26] Who makes them deaf or mute?
[00:53:28] Who gives them sight or makes them blind?
[00:53:30] Is it not I, the Lord?
[00:53:31] Now go, I'll help you speak, and I'll teach you what to say.
[00:53:37] You know, I'd write this down.
[00:53:38] I think there's an important truth here for you and me, that we can count on the Lord to give us the right words at the right time, delivered in the right way.
[00:53:47] I love that you know God says to Moses don't worry I'm gonna give you the words that you need when you need them and I love that promise I count on that I found that to be true in my life as a pastor as a friend as a parent have you you know sometimes I get in a conversation with someone I'm counseling them and even as they speak I'll sit there and I'm saying a prayer and some of you are gonna think that I'm doing this because and I may be but I'm praying God give me the right words to say to this person
[00:54:16] In the right way in this moment.
[00:54:18] And I've discovered again and again that He will.
[00:54:22] That He does.
[00:54:23] And Mark Cole and I, you know, the director of our Renew ministry have talked about this.
[00:54:27] God does the same thing in His life.
[00:54:28] I think He'll do the same thing in yours.
[00:54:31] I had a conversation, an important conversation with one of our children recently.
[00:54:35] And I had some idea of the direction that conversation needed to take, that it should take.
[00:54:41] But I wasn't exactly sure how it would play out, right?
[00:54:44] Because it was dependent on what they said and how they reacted to the start of the conversation.
[00:54:50] But I can tell you, the Lord gave me the right words delivered in the right way at just the right time.
[00:54:56] And I'm grateful for that.
[00:54:58] As the Apostle Paul would say, that's not human wisdom, that is the power of God.
[00:55:04] And I lean on His Word in everything that I say, and the truth is that I don't have anything to say that really matters apart from His Word.
[00:55:14] and the same is true in your life.
[00:55:15] This is what God promised Moses and it's what He promises you and me.
[00:55:19] We can count on Him to give us the right words in the right time, delivered in the right way.
[00:55:24] You don't have to be a spectacular orator.
[00:55:26] You just don't.
[00:55:27] In fact, all the better when you're not because that's when His power is revealed in and through you.
[00:55:35] So here's the fourth excuse Moses comes up with.
[00:55:39] He's not done and this is kind of the granddaddy of them all.
[00:55:42] I love this one.
[00:55:43] They won't like me.
[00:55:45] They just won't.
[00:55:47] He says in verse 13, Pardon your servant, Lord, please.
[00:55:51] Send to anyone else, right?
[00:55:52] Send someone else.
[00:55:53] In fact, there's another modern translation that says exactly that.
[00:55:57] Send anyone else.
[00:55:59] In other words, there has to be a lot of people better suited for this mission, this task, than me.
[00:56:05] Even after all that God had promised him, Moses is still filled with a remarkable...
[00:56:10] Insecurity.
[00:56:11] Does that sound familiar?
[00:56:13] You ever felt that way?
[00:56:14] The Lord taps you on the shoulder for a particular task, a specific role, but you look around and you say, man, there are a lot of people in here, Lord, that can do this a lot better than me.
[00:56:25] Are you sure?
[00:56:26] Are you sure you want me to do this?
[00:56:28] I had a number of people, one in particular that caught me on the way out the door today that said that.
[00:56:34] You know, I really struggle with that, Pastor.
[00:56:36] You know, I look around and there are a lot of people better suited to this than I am.
[00:56:41] And she said, I really appreciate your word to me on that.
[00:56:43] I said, you know, there are probably a lot of pastors that are better suited to lead this church than me.
[00:56:48] But for whatever reason, the Lord called me to do it.
[00:56:52] So by God, I'm going to do it, right?
[00:56:54] And the same is true for you.
[00:56:56] Whatever He's calling you to in life, this was true for Moses.
[00:57:00] If God can use this guy, He can use you.
[00:57:04] The Lord says, you're my choice.
[00:57:07] You're the one I want for this.
[00:57:08] So his patience is kind of waning a little bit with Moses.
[00:57:11] He's getting exhausted.
[00:57:13] So he offers him an accommodation.
[00:57:16] Here's what he says in verses 14 and following.
[00:57:18] Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses.
[00:57:23] And he said, what about your brother Aaron, the Levite?
[00:57:26] I know he can speak well.
[00:57:28] He's already on his way to meet you and he'll be glad to see you.
[00:57:32] You shall speak to him.
[00:57:33] You shall put words in his mouth.
[00:57:35] I'll help both of you speak and I'll teach you what to do.
[00:57:39] He'll speak to the people for you and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.
[00:57:47] But take this staff in your hands so you can perform the signs with it.
[00:57:52] So the Lord's essentially saying, fine, you can take Aaron with you.
[00:57:57] He can speak for you.
[00:57:58] It's not best, but I'm going to let you do that because you need that.
[00:58:04] And so I'm going to let him come along with you.
[00:58:06] And by the way, you'll see that that wasn't probably the best idea later, right?
[00:58:11] Some of you know where that's going.
[00:58:13] taking Aaron did take some pressure off of him and then of course the Lord said I want you to take this staff too because it will represent my power and you will need that of course he will and then Moses goes he tells his father-in-law Jethro that he's been called back to Egypt he leaves a few things out you can read that in verse 18 but needless to say he's finally ready to head back to Egypt we're going to continue with that story next week
[00:58:40] But I want to leave you with a couple of things this morning.
[00:58:43] A couple of things to think about.
[00:58:45] A few cautions.
[00:58:46] When you're listening for God's voice because the truth is I want to believe that every person in here, every person watching today wants to hear from God.
[00:58:55] We are navigating life's challenges.
[00:58:58] We are following God's will.
[00:58:59] We want to know He's speaking to us, that He's directing us, that He's guiding us in every path that we take in life.
[00:59:07] So how do you know that it is God's voice to you?
[00:59:10] Here are a few cautions.
[00:59:12] One, first and foremost, be certain that it is from God.
[00:59:17] That what you believe is God speaking to you through His Word.
[00:59:22] Because here's the truth.
[00:59:24] God will never contradict Himself.
[00:59:27] So if His Word
[00:59:29] is contrary to what you believe he's saying to you.
[00:59:33] He's not saying that.
[00:59:34] That's not from him.
[00:59:36] Understand that.
[00:59:37] Seek the godly wisdom of well-discipled Christ followers.
[00:59:41] God can speak through his people.
[00:59:44] And I also think God can speak through circumstances.
[00:59:47] So what are your circumstances revealing
[00:59:50] about your situation the direction that God wants you to take in your life he speaks through his word he speaks through his people he speaks through circumstances so be certain it's from God and then when you are you be confident in his power don't dismiss a task or a mission that the Lord is calling you to because you don't think you can do it the truth is you can't but he can
[01:00:17] You remember that you and I were jars of clay.
[01:00:21] We're fragile jars of clay.
[01:00:24] But it's not the condition of the jar that matters, but rather what's inside it, the treasure that it holds.
[01:00:30] Who is Jesus Christ?
[01:00:32] I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.
[01:00:36] And then you be comfortable with His plan.
[01:00:39] You take what He gives you.
[01:00:40] Don't tinker with it or expect special accommodations.
[01:00:44] You work with what you have and you trust Him to do the rest.
[01:00:49] God often puts us on the harder road rather than the easier road.
[01:00:53] Do you know why?
[01:00:55] Because He gets the glory, not us.
[01:00:58] It's never about us.
[01:01:00] I love that.
[01:01:02] To God be the glory always and forever.
[01:01:04] In all that we do, you and I, we want to follow His will.
[01:01:08] We want to hear from Him.
[01:01:10] We want to follow the direction that He would have us take in this world.
[01:01:14] And my hope is that you're listening to Him, that you desire to hear from Him.
[01:01:19] The fact that you're here today, God is saying to you, I have words for you.
[01:01:24] I have special direction that I want you to take and I want you to listen to me through my word.
[01:01:30] I want you to serve me, to honor me in your life and with your life.
[01:01:36] And then He'll reveal that to you.
[01:01:38] I think He's working in your life right now.
[01:01:41] I want to ask you to stand to your feet if you're able and I want to pray for you.
[01:01:46] Father, I thank You for Your Word to us.
[01:01:49] God, I thank You for Your Word to Your servant Moses.
[01:01:54] God, an unlikely leader at this point in his life.
[01:01:59] But God, he had a destiny.
[01:02:01] You prepared him for it.
[01:02:04] And he was ready.
[01:02:05] And God, we thank you for what you did in his life.
[01:02:08] And God, what it says about what you'll do in our lives.
[01:02:11] God, we thank you that you, the Almighty God, cares about us, that you want a relationship with us, that you made that possible, that intimate relationship possible through your Son, Jesus Christ, who reconciled us to you.
[01:02:26] God, thank you for Jesus.
[01:02:29] Thank you for saving us.
[01:02:31] God, for every person in this room here today, I pray that you'll give their life direction and meaning and hope, that they'll long to serve you, to honor you every day, that they'll strive to make an impression, to leave a mark for Jesus Christ.
[01:02:43] Lord, if there is anybody in this room we're watching today who does not yet know Jesus in a real and personal way, I pray in this moment they would surrender their lives to Christ, they would turn from their sin, place their faith in Him as Savior,
[01:02:59] Lord, we love you, Lord.
[01:03:01] We pray it all in Jesus' holy and precious name.
[01:03:04] Amen.

[01:03:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
wonderful merciful savior precious redeemer and friend who would have thought that a lamb could rescue the souls of men oh you rescued the souls
[01:04:00] Counselor, Comforter, Keeper Spirit we long to embrace You offer hope
[01:04:41] Healing and Grace Our hearts always hunger for Oh, our hearts always hunger for Almighty, Infinite Father Faithfully loving Your own
[01:05:21] Oh, we're calling before your throne And you are the one that we praise You are the one we adore You've been the healing and grace Our soul we turn
[01:06:09] and Grace Our hearts always hunger for Oh, our hearts always hunger for

[01:06:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
May our hearts always hunger for Him.
[01:06:34] And one of the lines in that song talked about our infinite God.
[01:06:38] And as I heard that, sang that, I thought He is both infinite and intimate.
[01:06:45] That He draws near to us, that the God of the universe cares deeply about us, that He cares about you.
[01:06:51] That He cares about me.
[01:06:53] That He wants to direct our lives.
[01:06:54] That He wants to make our lives matter.
[01:06:57] That He wants to make our lives count for Christ's sake.
[01:07:00] That we can, we will make an impression and leave a mark for Jesus Christ.
[01:07:05] That's my hope for you this week.
[01:07:07] So be used by God.
[01:07:08] Be humble and be available and watch God work as only He can.
[01:07:14] Let's pray.
[01:07:16] Lord we love You.
[01:07:19] We thank you so much for the opportunity to be here together today to worship you.
[01:07:25] You are our infinite God.
[01:07:29] You're also our intimate God.
[01:07:34] You draw near to us in Jesus Christ.
[01:07:36] You made a relationship with you possible through His sacrifice for each of us.
[01:07:41] And we thank you for His precious blood that was shed for us
[01:07:46] God, we thank you for the opportunity, the honor of serving you.
[01:07:51] God, as we leave this place today, will you empower us, equip us, enable us to make an impression, to leave a mark for Jesus Christ.
[01:08:00] We pray it in his powerful, his mighty, his glorious name.
[01:08:05] And all God's children said, Amen.
[01:08:08] Blessings.