From Moses to Me: When Character Study Replaces Christology

[00:00:41] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Thank you.

[00:01:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Well, good morning.
[00:01:59] Please stand with us as we worship today.

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Sometimes you've got to dance through the darkness Sing through the fire Praise when it don't make sense Sometimes you've got to stand in the giant Worship from the lion's den
[00:02:27] Sometimes you gotta shout it from the mountain Louder in the valley Trusting that He's gonna get you there Sometimes you gotta welcome the wonder Wait for the answer Worship with your hands in the air I'll praise you anywhere Praise, give Him praise, give Him praise In the highest praise, give Him praise, give Him praise
[00:03:07] Sometimes you gotta praise in the prison, cry out to heaven, shout it till the doors swing wide.
[00:03:16] Sometimes you gotta stand on your shackles, brave in the battle, worship with your hands held high.
[00:03:25] I'll praise you anywhere.
[00:03:27] Praise, giving praise, giving praise.
[00:03:38] God is worthy as He is worthy of all of the praise, giving praise, giving praise, and the highest praise, giving praise, giving praise, and the highest praise, He is worthy as He is worthy of all of the praise.
[00:04:09] Faithful all my life Blessings day and night Countless reasons why I praise You anywhere Every promise kept Goodness every step Each and every breath I praise You anywhere Come on!
[00:04:30] Faithful all my life Blessings day and night Countless reasons why I praise You anywhere
[00:04:39] God is good, goodness every step, each and every breath, I praise you anywhere Praise, giving praise, giving praise in the highest Praise, giving praise, giving praise in the highest He is worthy, yes He is
[00:05:03] Put your hands together for Him this morning, church.
[00:05:44] I raise a hallelujah in the presence of my enemy I raise a hallelujah louder than the unbelief
[00:06:13] My weapon is a melody I raise a hallelujah Heaven comes to fight for me Come on, sing it out!
[00:06:31] I'm gonna sing In the middle of the storm Louder and louder
[00:06:42] Up from the ashes Hope will arise Death is defeated The King is alive
[00:07:09] With everything inside of me I raise a hallelujah I watch the darkness flee
[00:07:44] I'm gonna sing in the middle of the storm louder and louder you're gonna hear my praises roar up from the ashes hope will arise death is the
[00:08:28] Sing a little louder.
[00:08:31] Sing a little louder.
[00:08:43] Sing a little louder Sing a little louder Oh sing a little louder Sing a little louder In the presence of my enemies Sing a little louder Louder than the unbelief Sing a little louder My weapon is the melody Sing a little louder

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Sing a little louder I'm a weapon is the melody Sing a little louder Heaven calls to fight for me Sing a little louder I'm gonna sing in the middle of the storm

[00:09:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
From the ashes Hope will arise Death is defeated The King is alive Oh I'm gonna sing In the middle of the storm Louder and louder You're gonna hear my praises roar Up from the ashes
[00:10:30] I raise a Hallelujah I raise a Hallelujah

[00:11:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Jesus, Jesus, oh there is something about that I hate
[00:11:48] After the rain Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Let all heaven and earth proclaim
[00:12:24] The kingdoms will all pass away But there's something about that name

[00:12:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
I pray into the atmosphere Spirit of God you're here You have all authority And I pray over my heart and mind I am healed by your stripes Your blood declares that I am free

[00:14:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
The cross has sealed my destiny In the mighty hand of God
[00:15:10] I will not fear, I will not fear When the enemy comes near When the door in my life Is the blood of Jesus Christ I will not fear, I will not fear There's an army of angels near I'm protected on one side
[00:15:43] I will not fear, I will not fear There's an army of angels here Who are protected on all sides By the blood of Jesus Christ In the mighty name of Jesus

[00:17:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Jesus, how sweet is your name.
[00:17:32] How holy is your name.
[00:17:35] Just to yourself, would you just say the name of Jesus?
[00:17:39] Over your life, over your family.
[00:17:42] Jesus, how sweet is your name.
[00:17:45] Lord, we are so grateful that we can call upon your name, that you're not far away, you're not hidden in the clouds, but you are here with us in every moment.
[00:17:56] For that, we are so grateful, Lord.
[00:17:59] Today, would you just fill us with your Holy Spirit, Lord, as we choose to sing, no matter what circumstance, Lord, we call upon your name, we sing.
[00:18:09] Our weapon is a melody, Lord.
[00:18:13] Jesus, we are so grateful.
[00:18:15] Fill us today.
[00:18:17] Use us, Lord, to reach those who are lost.
[00:18:21] And in Jesus' name, we pray all of these things.
[00:18:24] Amen.
[00:18:26] Well, would you turn to someone and greet them and say, good morning?
[00:18:30] Maybe go across the room and meet someone new.

[00:18:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Well, good morning church family.
[00:19:19] How are you all today?
[00:19:22] Wow, the Lord is doing something special here.
[00:19:25] I hope you can feel it.
[00:19:28] But beyond that, I believe in 2026, the Lord has something exceedingly special He wants to do in and through each and every one of you.
[00:19:42] So get ready.
[00:19:45] Let's get ready.
[00:19:47] Well, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Eric and I want to welcome you to Grace Covenant Mooresville this morning.
[00:19:54] It's such a blessing, a true blessing to be able to see you guys.
[00:19:57] Thank you for choosing to come here and worship the Lord together.
[00:20:00] It's a warm day.
[00:20:03] It's warm outside, but it's warm in the spirit in here, and you guys make that happen, as does the presence of the Lord.
[00:20:10] But if you are new here, or new-ish here, we want to bless you today.
[00:20:14] We would ask that you would stop by Guest Central, which you'll find through these doors out in the lobby on the left-hand side before you exit.
[00:20:22] We have a gift for you.
[00:20:23] We want to get to know your name.
[00:20:25] We want to know who you are.
[00:20:26] We want to share a little bit about our church family with you, and we look forward to getting you
[00:20:32] For to meeting you and we want to thank you for joining us here this morning we have just a few announcements this morning we're going to start with it is time for solid lives discipleship yet again now let me say if you have never participated in in this program
[00:20:52] You need to do it.
[00:20:52] Whether you are brand new in the faith or kind of new and you're still trying to figure out this walk with Jesus, or if you've been walking with the Lord for decades, this is for you.
[00:21:02] If I could describe this in one word, I would say, well, I would say, wow.
[00:21:10] I might say transformative.
[00:21:12] It's a powerful training and I would encourage you if you have not attended level one of Solid Life Discipleship to please sign up.
[00:21:20] It's going to start this Wednesday.
[00:21:21] It's five weeks.
[00:21:25] It's amazing.
[00:21:26] And if you are ready for the Lord to do an amazing work in your life and to grow in your walk with the Lord, I would deeply encourage you to attend.
[00:21:36] Solid Life Discipleship starting this Wednesday.
[00:21:39] We also have over the next, I'm sorry, on Sunday, January 25th, after both services, we have a Missions Interest Meeting.
[00:21:48] It's going to be down at Yonge Hall, and so we would invite you to come down and listen to what the Lord is planning to do through this church in terms of missions this year.
[00:21:59] You might go just to see how the Lord might stir your heart to participate, whether through prayer or through participating through providing financially, or maybe the Lord is calling you to go.
[00:22:10] But either way, we would invite you to come down after both services on Sunday, January 25th to hear more about the missions, what we have in store for missions this year at church.
[00:22:22] We also have a women's conference coming up February 6th and 7th.
[00:22:28] So this is going to be down at Grace Covenant Cornelius.
[00:22:32] Ladies, you can sign up in the lobby.
[00:22:34] And when you do so, you will see... Is Tammy's number up there?
[00:22:38] So take note of Tammy's phone number on the screen because there's going to be a group of ladies that come here and she wants to be able to keep in touch with you to keep you all informed and heading down there together.
[00:22:51] But it's going to be a wonderful couple of days.
[00:22:53] I believe it starts on a Friday evening and continues, picks up again on Saturday and it's all day Saturday.
[00:23:00] All the ladies are going to be signing up.
[00:23:02] We just want to encourage you to sign up and participate.
[00:23:05] and allow the Lord to just build you up together and worship Him together and see what the Lord might have in store for you as a follower of His.
[00:23:15] So you can sign up in the lobby on the iPad or you can sign up online at gracecovenant.org slash events.
[00:23:24] There's a lot of other things going on.
[00:23:26] I would ask that you would pay attention to your service guides and also the pre-service slides.
[00:23:31] There's a lot of information that cycles through before the service.
[00:23:35] And so that's all the announcements I have other than this is a time for us to be able to give back to our faithful father asking him to bless and
[00:23:49] Help us to be good stewards over our tithes and our offerings.
[00:23:52] And as you know, there are three ways for us to give.
[00:23:57] We can give online, we can give through the app, and we can give through the tithes and offering boxes we have in the back of the sanctuary and out in the lobby.
[00:24:07] Would you join me in praying over our tithes and offering and over the rest of our service today?
[00:24:16] Heavenly Father, we praise you for your faithfulness
[00:24:20] For your grace, for your provision, Lord.
[00:24:22] And as we have opportunity to give back to you from what you have provided to us, Lord, we would ask that you would bless our tithes and offerings.
[00:24:32] Lord, would you help them to go far and wide, drawing people to yourself.
[00:24:38] Help us to be effective in every area of ministry.
[00:24:44] that you might receive maximum glory.
[00:24:49] Lord, fill us afresh with your spirit.
[00:24:52] Lord, open and prepare and soften our hearts that we might receive from you today, Lord God.
[00:25:00] None of us is here by accident.
[00:25:01] You have a word for each of us here, Lord.
[00:25:04] Help us to hear and to do for your glory.
[00:25:07] Have your way through this service, we ask in Jesus' name, amen.

[00:25:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Good morning.
[00:25:19] Pastor Steve and I want to welcome you here today to Grace Covenant Mooresville.
[00:25:24] Always a joy to be with you.
[00:25:25] Always, always.
[00:25:26] I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
[00:25:31] Before I jump into my message this morning, I have a couple things.
[00:25:36] We know that the beginning of the year is a great time to plan, right?
[00:25:43] To get ahead of things, to make sure that our heart is in the right position, in the right place as we approach the rest of the year.
[00:25:50] And one of the great ways that we can do that is through a fast.
[00:25:55] So tomorrow we are starting.
[00:25:56] A 21-day fast across our campuses, and we would love for you to join us in that.
[00:26:02] That doesn't mean you necessarily need to fast from food for 21 days, but here's what I want to encourage you to do.
[00:26:07] What does it look like for you?
[00:26:08] What can you give up?
[00:26:10] What can you sacrifice for a season so that you can make place for more of God in your life?
[00:26:16] What can you do to help yourself to develop more of a passion for Him in your life for these next 21 days?
[00:26:25] And that's what I want to encourage you to do.
[00:26:27] And then be intentional about not just taking something out of your life, but then putting more of God in your life.
[00:26:36] Amen?
[00:26:37] That's the whole purpose of a fast.
[00:26:38] It isn't just to take something out.
[00:26:42] It is to fill that space
[00:26:45] And so for the next couple weeks, three weeks, we're going to be joining together.
[00:26:49] However you want to participate, I just encourage you to get before the Lord and ask today, what does that look like for you?
[00:26:55] And then jump all in.
[00:26:56] And additionally, I want to let you know we do have some resources available for you.
[00:27:02] If you text fasting to the number on your screen, that QR code thing right there, go ahead and scan that if you'd like to.
[00:27:12] We just have some short daily devotionals and a short time of prayer that's going to give you access to just to kind of keep your heart in the right place.
[00:27:20] And so we just want to encourage you, let's start this year off right.
[00:27:24] Let's start this year off prioritizing making space for God to speak to us because we want to hear from Him today, don't we, church?
[00:27:32] Amen?
[00:27:33] So that's the first thing.
[00:27:34] We are starting that tomorrow.
[00:27:36] And so please join us on that.
[00:27:39] It's going to be a great time of just seeking out the Lord and setting ourselves up to hear more from Him.
[00:27:45] It could be as simple as fasting from social media, from television.
[00:27:50] Maybe you take three days and you fast from food three days a week.
[00:27:54] But whatever that looks like to you, I just encourage you, listen, whatever that looks like to you, just jump in.
[00:28:00] Amen?
[00:28:01] Alright, let me continue.
[00:28:03] Additionally, this morning, before we get to the message, two other things.
[00:28:09] First,
[00:28:11] We have a staffing transition that I believe is going to strengthen our ministry and help our team thrive.
[00:28:16] You know, as our church grows, the work gets more complex.
[00:28:19] Do you guys realize that?
[00:28:21] The more people show up, which, praise the Lord, people are showing up, it gets more complex.
[00:28:26] And one of the best things that we can do is to clarify roles so that our leaders can focus on what they are called to do, what they're gifted to do, what they're best at.
[00:28:34] And so today we're going to be announcing a shift that's really all about specialization and strengthening.
[00:28:41] First of all, some of you know this, Gracie, who has been serving as our church administrator, will be stepping into the role of children's director.
[00:28:49] Gracie has consistently demonstrated a heart for families and a shepherding spirit.
[00:28:54] Those of you young adults, you know that.
[00:28:56] She's, on her own, has started that ministry.
[00:29:00] She has a remarkable ability to build systems that enable ministry to happen with excellence.
[00:29:07] So we are absolutely thrilled as Gracie moves into this position.
[00:29:12] Additionally, Colby, who is currently our Children's Director, she's moving into a new role as well that we're calling our Communications and Media Director.
[00:29:22] We have a story to tell.
[00:29:23] Amen.
[00:29:24] So many of you have stories to tell.
[00:29:26] And so we want to make sure that those stories are told with excellence.
[00:29:29] The shift allows her to focus her energy where she really shines, and I've seen it.
[00:29:33] Many of you, if you're on social media, I'm not on social media, isn't that hilarious?
[00:29:37] But if you're on social media...
[00:29:40] You know what we're talking about.
[00:29:42] And I think she does a great job already.
[00:29:45] And this gives her more time to be able to jump into this ministry that needs consistent leadership.
[00:29:50] And so what this means is we're not losing leaders.
[00:29:55] We're placing leaders where they can be even more effective and more joyful in how they serve the Lord.
[00:30:00] Isn't that amazing?
[00:30:01] How many of you guys would like jobs like that?
[00:30:02] Where you can say, you know what, this position, I think I could be even more effective here.
[00:30:08] So I want to take a moment, I want to invite Gracie and Colby up here.
[00:30:10] Is Colby in here?
[00:30:12] Alright, there she is.
[00:30:13] You guys have a microphone?
[00:30:14] Awesome.
[00:30:15] Can you guys invite them with me?
[00:30:17] Let them know how grateful we are.
[00:30:18] And so, Colby, just take a few moments, not long at all, just to share a little bit about what's on your heart as you're stepping into this new position.

[00:30:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
The media person already.
[00:30:38] Off to a great start.

[00:30:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
They have to hear you.
[00:30:39] You know, that's good communication.

[00:30:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
No, this has been such an incredible joy.
[00:30:45] I think back to the Ruth series when I was just overwhelmed with emotion that I needed to step into ministry after 12 years in a corporate career.
[00:30:55] I didn't know what that looked like, but God did.
[00:30:59] and what I knew at that time was Kate was transitioning into another role and little did I know he was working on a couple in Ohio that would soon be moving down here as well and Gracie I see so much coming from you stepping into this role and without a doubt I know I know God's hand is in it and I'm so grateful that he put me there just for the time to get you
[00:31:26] We were down at Parents Night Out and we had some time before the movie was going to start and Gracie goes, Hey, we should do this song called Church Clap.
[00:31:41] And I'm going, have I really gotten that old that I don't know this song?
[00:31:46] And I'm sitting there watching her and Andrew do this amazing dance.
[00:31:48] My knees hurt just watching them.
[00:31:51] and it was incredible and it was that moment that in my heart I knew this was going to be the right move those kids light up when they see you and it's going to be an amazing time so so excited for you I'm so excited for what we're going to be able to do on the communications and media side to really show
[00:32:09] Everyone else in this community, how amazing this church is.
[00:32:13] That takes time and it takes creativity and I'm so excited to be given the opportunity to do that, to shine our church in the light that it deserves.

[00:32:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
So thank you for that.
[00:32:23] Amen, thank you.
[00:32:24] Amen.
[00:32:28] Tell us a little bit about your heart, Gracie.

[00:32:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
yeah so just as i've been praying about this and getting ready and asking the lord for his heart in this transition the thing that he's been telling me over and over again is to be expectant and that was all that he said just to be expectant so i am anticipating the lord is going to do amazing things i'm coming each week just expectant to see his goodness not only in the really big amazing things that he can do but also just in the small things
[00:32:58] So I hope that you'll be expectant with me, not just for me and the kids ministry, but for Colby and for Andrew and for Pastor Kerry and for Nikki, for all the ministries here.
[00:33:08] Just come expectant each week.
[00:33:10] We may not see it yet, but the Lord works all things for good.

[00:33:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Amen.
[00:33:14] Amen.
[00:33:14] Amen.
[00:33:14] You can keep it.
[00:33:18] So, yeah, we think it's a great move.
[00:33:22] We're excited about both of them.
[00:33:23] They're both so talented.
[00:33:26] Just so you guys know, the transition will officially take place the first Sunday of February.
[00:33:31] And so they're going to be working with each other for the next couple weeks.
[00:33:34] Gracie has already had a lot of experience in children's ministry.
[00:33:36] She covered for Colby when Colby was growing the church with her new baby.
[00:33:42] We all got to do it one way or another.
[00:33:44] And then just so you know, we're going to be announcing it, parents, to the children next week.
[00:33:49] And so we wanted to give you as parents the opportunity.
[00:33:52] If you'd like to share with them beforehand, great.
[00:33:55] If not, we will let them know next week.
[00:33:57] But we want to let you guys have the freedom to figure out how that's going to be best for your children.
[00:34:02] So, amen?
[00:34:04] Let's go ahead and reach our hands towards them, and we're just going to pray for this season.
[00:34:07] When we start in February, we're going to have an official commissioning prayer, but I want to just pray over this transition.
[00:34:12] Lord, we thank you for Gracie and Colby and for the season that we're in, and Lord, we just thank you for their hearts for you.
[00:34:18] Lord for your their heart for your people for your church Lord and we just pray covering over this transition that more and more they would see the doors open Lord as they're moving into what you have in store for them give them the boldness the courage to take those steps and to to to to do what needs to be done Lord give them the creativity and and the passion to continue to push forward Lord because
[00:34:43] Life of ministry, we all know that serving requires a sacrifice.
[00:34:47] And so, Lord, just continue to revitalize their heart to see the big picture of what you're doing through them.
[00:34:53] And Lord, we just pray for wisdom and patience as we transition.
[00:34:56] And we just pray for the kids.
[00:34:58] I think they're going to be excited.
[00:34:59] They probably, you know, kids, they probably aren't going to notice what's going on.
[00:35:02] But Lord, just bless them.
[00:35:04] And Lord, give them, as Gracie said, an expectant heart of what you have in store for them through this coming season.
[00:35:11] And everybody said...
[00:35:12] Amen.
[00:35:13] Amen.
[00:35:13] Amen.
[00:35:13] Thank you guys.
[00:35:20] Lastly, oh actually we have a short video we want to show.
[00:36:00] I mean, let's give Kobe a hand.
[00:36:02] She's created that video.
[00:36:05] And listen, that video was actually, we should give you a hand because it's all about you guys.
[00:36:10] So let's give you guys a hand because...
[00:36:13] The reality is this church doesn't happen without you.
[00:36:16] This is not about the professionals.
[00:36:19] It's about the family.
[00:36:20] Amen?
[00:36:21] And so church does not happen unless you show up, unless you serve.
[00:36:26] And this morning is Grow and Serve Sunday.
[00:36:28] We do this in the fall and we do it in the beginning of the year.
[00:36:32] We want to give you an opportunity to get engaged because here at Grace Covenant we believe that everyone serves.
[00:36:39] I love telling the illustration like if you've ever been to a potluck the first time you come you might not have to bring anything the next time you come you kind of you're still exempt right but at some point you got to start bringing something right you got to bring a side dish or some drinks or dessert at some point you got to start contributing it's the same with every healthy situation right every healthy organization at some point
[00:37:02] You gotta start contributing.
[00:37:05] And here's the heart behind this, guys, is that we believe that here at Grace Covenant, we are a people who joyfully and eagerly serve.
[00:37:15] Do you guys walk in on Sunday and see people who are not glad to be here?
[00:37:19] Shaking your hand?
[00:37:20] Absolutely not.
[00:37:22] People are here because we eagerly and we joyfully serve.
[00:37:28] And we don't serve because we're pressured.
[00:37:30] We serve because Jesus served us first and His Spirit is forming His heart in us.
[00:37:37] A serving heart is part of our spiritual maturity.
[00:37:40] Following Jesus isn't just about what we believe, it's also about who we are becoming.
[00:37:48] And one of the ways that God forms us is when we choose humility, consistency, and generosity with our time.
[00:37:56] Additionally, some of you, all of us, need community.
[00:38:00] We are pursuing connection, and that is absolutely great.
[00:38:03] However, connections are not made sitting in a room full of strangers.
[00:38:08] It's formed when you show up with people, carry something together, build something together, solve problems together, pray with each other.
[00:38:15] It starts to feel like, hey, these are my people.
[00:38:18] That's what church is about.
[00:38:20] Your closest friends in this church won't come from a handshake in the lobby.
[00:38:23] They'll come from being on a team, shoulder to shoulder, week after week, getting things done.
[00:38:29] And we're not just talking about little things.
[00:38:31] We're talking about eternal things.
[00:38:32] Amen.
[00:38:33] And so this morning we just want to take some time to just remind you that's who we are that's part of our heart and for those of you who are new over the last couple weeks man we want to welcome you here and you still got a little bit of time for the last couple months you got a little bit of time to get settled in but once you've determined this is this is your church home let me say your next step and your spiritual growth is to serve that's part of all of our spiritual journeys and so we wanted we just want to make it easy for you this morning
[00:38:58] Every one of you, go ahead and raise up that little card that you were given this morning.
[00:39:03] You were given a pen at the bottom of that.
[00:39:05] If you don't have a pen or if you don't like to write, you can actually just, I think there's like a QR code that you can text or maybe a number you can text that just says, I don't know, just follow the instructions on that.
[00:39:15] Whatever is easiest for you, we would just love for you to get engaged.
[00:39:19] Our children's ministry, Gracie's moving into that.
[00:39:23] She's gonna need leaders to step up and support her as she's making that transition.
[00:39:26] Join children's ministry.
[00:39:27] That is one of the most amazing ministries you can serve in a church.
[00:39:31] Such minds that are so open for truth.
[00:39:36] Same with Andrew.
[00:39:37] Same with greeting.
[00:39:37] How many of you love seeing people smile when you walk in those doors?
[00:39:41] How many of you love a nice cup of organic Colombian coffee beans, right, when you walk in in the morning?
[00:39:47] Amen!
[00:39:49] okay that happens because people show up and serve and you can be part we want you to be part of that that's part of what i believe the lord has for you as well and so we want to make it easy after service today go ahead and i don't care if you're writing during my message if you're filling that out they will not offend me after service we're going to have some ushers outside of the door with some baskets and we just want to jump drop those in and we're going to be communicating with you within the next week
[00:40:16] I want to say there's one box that says surprise me maybe you don't know what to do Pastor Carrie will reach out to you and she'll have a conversation with you she does a great job of placing people where they just need to be some of you you just want to serve wherever you just want to serve however we can do that we'll click that as well and check that as well and Pastor Carrie will be reaching out to you because here at Grace Covenant everybody serves amen we are all part of this family and we believe that we are building this the kingdom of God together amen
[00:40:45] Amen.
[00:40:48] All right, where am I?
[00:40:53] Message, thank you.
[00:41:00] Let's pray.
[00:41:01] Lord, I just thank you for today, for this opportunity to dive into your Word.
[00:41:06] Change our hearts.
[00:41:07] We don't want to leave here the same because we know that your truth transforms us.
[00:41:12] Your spirit changes lives.
[00:41:13] We cannot be the same when we are in your presence.
[00:41:17] This morning, we choose to engage.
[00:41:19] This morning, we choose to trust your word and we choose to allow it to speak to us.
[00:41:25] Lord, we humbly submit to it today.
[00:41:28] And it's in Jesus' name I pray, amen.
[00:41:31] This morning we are in the second week of a series called Fire and Cloud and just want to make sure that you know we came up with that title before we knew that Fire and Ash was going to be in the movie theaters right now.
[00:41:42] The Final Avatar movie, for those of you who don't know.
[00:41:47] But we've been going through the book of Exodus.
[00:41:48] We're actually in our second week, and the main theme that we see in Exodus is Exodus is all about salvation.
[00:41:55] It's not just a historical lesson.
[00:41:58] Listen, and we don't want to read it as if it's a historic book.
[00:42:02] It's a picture of God's heart of deliverance from sin into a new life.
[00:42:07] And it's written in a way that we're to read these stories and draw out the character of God.
[00:42:13] And so if you read Exodus meaning like it's, you know, about the ancient geography and old history, then you're going to miss the point.
[00:42:20] But if you read Exodus and you ask, what is God like?
[00:42:25] It's going to come alive.
[00:42:26] Last week, we set the stage by discussing Egypt as a symbol of sin and the devastation that it causes.
[00:42:33] And so I want to encourage you, if you were not here last week, if you did not hear that message, I strongly encourage you to go listen to it.
[00:42:40] You can go to YouTube.
[00:42:41] You can go to gracecovenant.org.
[00:42:44] Search for Grace Covenant Mooresville on YouTube.
[00:42:47] I encourage you to listen to it because it sets up the stage of some principles of why...
[00:42:54] that are going to help carry you through the rest of this book, but additionally through the rest of the Old Testament.
[00:43:01] And I don't want you to just keep up with this story, but it helps us understand why God responds the way He does so often.
[00:43:09] If you don't understand Egypt,
[00:43:12] If you don't understand what God is rescuing us from, then the plagues in the wilderness, the commands, the intensity in which God approaches sin, it can all feel a little confusing.
[00:43:24] But listen, when you see the stakes,
[00:43:27] and the consequences and the devastation of sin, then you start to see the mercy that God is extending.
[00:43:34] So that's the backdrop that we've set last week.
[00:43:37] There's bondage, there's oppression in Egypt, and this week we turn to an individual named Moses.
[00:43:44] And so we're going to jump right in today into Exodus 2.
[00:43:46] I'm going to be reading all the way 1 through 25, and I'm going to be stopping along the way at points to expound a little bit on the text.
[00:43:54] And there's no real points this morning for the sake of time.
[00:43:58] We had so much going on.
[00:43:59] I'm just going to read through and comment, but you're going to find some reoccurring themes as we go through it.
[00:44:05] Exodus 2, starting at the first verse, says this.
[00:44:09] Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son.
[00:44:14] When she saw that he was a fine child, that means a healthy child, she hid him for three months.
[00:44:20] I know many of you guys remember that from last week that Pharaoh just put out an edict that everybody was to kill any Hebrew boy that was born.
[00:44:30] And so this is in opposition to that we're already seeing.
[00:44:33] But when she could hide him no longer,
[00:44:37] She got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch.
[00:44:41] And then she placed the child in it and put him among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
[00:44:45] His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
[00:44:49] Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank.
[00:44:54] She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slaves to get it.
[00:44:57] She opened it and saw the baby, and he was crying, and she felt sorry for him.
[00:45:02] This is one of the Hebrew babies, she said.
[00:45:05] And then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, this is Moses' sister, asked Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?
[00:45:14] Yes, go, she answered.
[00:45:15] And so the girl went and got the baby's mother.
[00:45:17] Well, that's pretty convenient, isn't it?
[00:45:20] Pharaoh's daughter said to her, take this baby and nurse him for me and I will pay you.
[00:45:24] So the woman took the baby and she nursed him.
[00:45:26] This was Moses' mom actually receives Moses back, nurses him and takes care of him for a season.
[00:45:32] And when the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son.
[00:45:37] She named him Moses saying, I drew him out of the water.
[00:45:42] There's not too much I want to go through at this particular section, but what I do want to highlight is the similarities of Moses' birth and the birth of Jesus, because what we're going to find is that there are many, many similarities, because any time God is moving, there's going to be opposition, amen?
[00:45:59] And the larger movement of God, the larger the opposition.
[00:46:03] And when we look at both of these scenarios, the both of Moses, which is the person that God will use to deliver the Israelites out of slavery, out of Egypt, which is going to be a picture of salvation even throughout the New Testament, we see the same opposition come against Jesus.
[00:46:23] Both stories involve vulnerable infants, oppressive power, and the surprising ways that God preserves His Deliverer.
[00:46:33] From the beginning, Exodus shows us that God's rescue plan enters the world quietly.
[00:46:37] We just celebrated Christmas, right?
[00:46:39] Jesus was born in a manger.
[00:46:43] It comes through people choosing courage in extraordinary times.
[00:46:49] We're gonna come back to this later in the series, but for now, let's go ahead and continue.
[00:46:53] Exodus 2, starting at the 11th verse, says this.
[00:46:56] One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people, say own people,
[00:47:04] He went on to where his own people were and he watched them in their hard labor.
[00:47:09] He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people, looking this way and that, right?
[00:47:14] Looking around.
[00:47:15] And seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and he hid him in the sand.
[00:47:21] So here's what we know about Moses.
[00:47:22] Moses was kind of living a divided life, wasn't he?
[00:47:25] In one case, he was raised in Pharaoh's household.
[00:47:29] He had access to education and resources, all of the benefits of the most powerful empire on earth at that time.
[00:47:35] He knows the language of the palace.
[00:47:37] He knows the systems of power.
[00:47:40] He has grown up with only what we could imagine.
[00:47:44] And yet what stands out in this moment is that Moses does not allow his comfort to erase his compassion.
[00:47:54] Moses went out to see his own people and he saw, it says, he saw their forced labor.
[00:48:03] That word matters.
[00:48:05] You know, so often we can see things, right?
[00:48:08] Watch the news and we see things and we make opinions based on, you know, our belief systems or our political parties often.
[00:48:16] But do we actually see things?
[00:48:19] He saw it.
[00:48:21] He saw their suffering.
[00:48:24] He didn't just glance.
[00:48:26] He didn't just keep moving and form a quick opinion.
[00:48:28] He didn't numb himself.
[00:48:31] Moses chose to look directly at suffering.
[00:48:36] And that's not an easy choice, is it?
[00:48:42] You see, one of the easiest temptations of comfort is to distance ourselves from suffering.
[00:48:46] We learn how to stay insulated.
[00:48:48] In fact, many of us, it's easy for us to set up lives that are insulated from suffering.
[00:48:53] We learn how not to feel those things.
[00:48:55] We learn how to make peace with what should break our hearts.
[00:48:59] And that's why these mission trips are so important, because you get to go to places and realize that not everybody is as blessed as we are in our nation.
[00:49:08] Amen.
[00:49:10] But Moses refuses to become cold.
[00:49:12] And I think we're seeing something even more profound here.
[00:49:15] Moses is already awakening to his calling.
[00:49:18] He may not have the complete picture yet, but he knows enough to feel the weight of what's happening to his own people.
[00:49:24] There's something in him that just burns when he sees oppression he's overcome with his holy passion.
[00:49:31] He's overcome with this urgency to stop this evil, to protect the vulnerable, to do what is right.
[00:49:39] And that passion is part of our calling.
[00:49:42] It's part of what pushes us forward, amen?
[00:49:46] But this is also a pretty brutal scripture.
[00:49:49] It's brutally honest, isn't it?
[00:49:50] And that's what I love about scripture.
[00:49:51] It's just honest.
[00:49:53] It doesn't try to hide people's flaws.
[00:49:56] In fact, Moses is the one who wrote this.
[00:50:00] When Moses sees the Egyptian beating a Hebrew, his anger, it makes sense, right?
[00:50:04] Because oppression is bad.
[00:50:05] It should make a godly person burn.
[00:50:08] Indifference is not holiness.
[00:50:11] The problem isn't that Moses feels something.
[00:50:13] The problem is what Moses does with that feeling.
[00:50:17] And I want to read, read verse 12 to you.
[00:50:18] It says, it's looking this way and that.
[00:50:20] So picture this guy.
[00:50:22] You can almost hear the sneaky music, you know?
[00:50:25] Remember spy versus spy, right?
[00:50:28] He looks this way and that, and when he sees no one, he kills the Egyptian and he hit him in the sand.
[00:50:37] Let's not pass this too quickly.
[00:50:39] Moses murders someone.
[00:50:43] Think about it.
[00:50:46] And that's what passion does when it's not mature.
[00:50:48] It confuses activity
[00:50:52] With obedience.
[00:50:54] You see, his heart was right, but it all goes south when Moses tries to step in as the role of deliverer without waiting for God's way and without waiting for God's timing.
[00:51:05] In church, this is what the flesh is all about.
[00:51:08] You see, if you remember last week, we talked about sin, the devastation of sin, how we should not handle it flippantly because God is the only one who truly understands this devastation.
[00:51:19] He takes it very seriously and so should we.
[00:51:22] We talked about one definition of sin being when we take the good things that God has given to us and we place them on the throne of our heart and we treat them as if they are God and we believe that they can provide for us things that only God can provide.
[00:51:36] That's the definition of sin that we saw last week.
[00:51:38] Well, this week we see a little bit different.
[00:51:40] This week we see that sin can be good intentions, right?
[00:51:44] When your heart is right,
[00:51:47] But with bad responses, bad decisions, ungodly responses.
[00:51:56] And how do we know that it's the flesh in this situation?
[00:51:58] Well, because what does he do?
[00:51:59] He tries to hide it.
[00:52:01] He looks around, makes sure nobody's looking, and then what does he do with the body?
[00:52:04] He buries the body.
[00:52:05] You don't bury things that you don't want other people to know about.
[00:52:13] We want the outcome, right?
[00:52:14] We want to set them free, but we don't want the accountability.
[00:52:17] We don't want the exposure.
[00:52:18] We don't want the consequences of our action.
[00:52:21] And so here's the sobering lesson that we learn from Moses here.
[00:52:24] You can be right about the problem and wrong in the way you respond.
[00:52:29] You guys see that?
[00:52:31] You can love justice and still be led by the wrong spirit.
[00:52:36] It's not enough to recognize what's right.
[00:52:38] We have to respond in righteousness.
[00:52:42] Because if you, let me say that again, because some of you need to write that down.
[00:52:45] It's not enough to recognize what's right.
[00:52:47] We have a culture that can see things that are wrong and they can understand that some things you shouldn't be doing.
[00:52:53] But listen, we must respond in righteousness.
[00:52:55] Our response must be righteous.
[00:52:59] Because if we take cues from the world around us, you will see that often in our desire to be right, we end up doing the very things that we abhor.
[00:53:08] Have you ever seen that?
[00:53:10] Think about this.
[00:53:11] It can be a little bit tricky, but this is the example that we see right here.
[00:53:14] Moses is angry about the devaluation of human life here, right?
[00:53:19] That's what slavery is.
[00:53:20] This race, this group of people is less human than us.
[00:53:25] Therefore, they serve us.
[00:53:28] It is the devaluation of human life.
[00:53:30] And so what does Moses do?
[00:53:32] He devalues the life of an Egyptian by murdering him.
[00:53:37] He says the Hebrew life is more important than this Egyptian's life.
[00:53:42] Let me tell you, both are wrong.
[00:53:48] You cannot fight sin with sin.
[00:53:51] You can't fight the hatred of one group by forming another group that hates that group.
[00:53:59] That doesn't even make sense.
[00:54:01] You can't heal one form of racism by expressing a different form of racism.
[00:54:08] Evil is never a solution for evil.
[00:54:16] Just because someone can accurately assess the problem doesn't mean that they have the right solution.
[00:54:22] And we have to be real careful with that.
[00:54:26] And so let's look at the following scripture.
[00:54:27] Let's continue here because, man, so much I want to get you through today.
[00:54:31] Exodus 2, we're going to continue into 13 first.
[00:54:33] It says, The next day he went out and he saw two Hebrews fighting, and he asked the one in the wrong, Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?
[00:54:42] Didn't you guys, like, hey, man, you guys should be supporting each other.
[00:54:45] Like, we got to get out of Egypt together.
[00:54:47] We're never going to make it if we're fighting among ourselves.
[00:54:50] But then the man said, Who made you ruler and judge over us?
[00:54:54] Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?
[00:54:57] And then Moses was afraid and he thought, what I did must have become known.
[00:55:02] And you know, when we look at that, we can almost see that that guy is kind of a punk, right?
[00:55:06] But in reality, it's actually a great question.
[00:55:10] Moses, who gave you the right to take life?
[00:55:16] Who made you judge?
[00:55:17] Why do you have the authority to determine who lives and who dies?
[00:55:23] Why do you have the authority to choose what is right and what is wrong?
[00:55:27] And the answer at this point is Moses doesn't.
[00:55:30] He doesn't have that authority.
[00:55:36] Moses was called, but at this point he had not been formed.
[00:55:40] God had a calling on his life, but at this point he did not have the maturity to move forward in that calling.
[00:55:47] You see, Exodus, it forces us to hold both of these truths together.
[00:55:50] First up, Moses' passion, it is a part of his calling.
[00:55:54] And your passion is a part of your calling, and you should have passion.
[00:55:58] God puts this fire in him because God hates sin.
[00:56:02] He hates oppression.
[00:56:04] Moses caught that.
[00:56:06] That's absolutely good.
[00:56:07] But on the other hand, Moses' method reveals that he's not ready yet.
[00:56:13] He's immature.
[00:56:16] Church, listen, following Jesus doesn't only require a sincere heart, it requires a formed life.
[00:56:25] And we can sometimes get judgmental.
[00:56:27] I just heard recently of an amazing Christian author this week.
[00:56:32] I think I heard it come out that he'd been having an affair.
[00:56:35] He'd done multiple books on marriage and every other, so many other things.
[00:56:40] He was having an affair for eight years.
[00:56:46] And we can get so judgmental about that.
[00:56:49] But the reality is we have to have it.
[00:56:52] And the reason that happens is because I'm sure nobody sets out for that to happen in their ministry.
[00:56:58] Do you guys realize that?
[00:57:00] It's not like this person said, you know what, I'm just going to live two lives and at some point hope that I don't get caught.
[00:57:04] Nobody does that.
[00:57:06] They have passion.
[00:57:07] I believe that most of them, if not all of them, sincerely love the Lord.
[00:57:11] They want to see His kingdom expanded, but they're just not ready to move forward because their life has not been formed by the Lord.
[00:57:19] And at some point, those two worlds collide.
[00:57:28] And so let's continue.
[00:57:29] Now, I want to take a step back now.
[00:57:31] Moses, first of all, before I move on, Moses didn't have authority because guess what?
[00:57:36] Moses didn't have God's Word back then, did he?
[00:57:39] He didn't have the definition of right and wrong written down, did he?
[00:57:44] But guess who does?
[00:57:46] We do.
[00:57:47] And so when we are expressing morality, we're not expressing it with our authority, are we?
[00:57:52] We're not expressing our opinions, we're expressing God's definition.
[00:58:01] We're using His definition.
[00:58:02] Does that make sense?
[00:58:03] And so Moses didn't have that, but we can now move in that because we're not moving with our authority, we're moving with the authority of God's Word.
[00:58:11] And that's why it's so important to be in God's Word and to know what it says and not compromise it because it may not be what we think is culturally appropriate or because it's hard for us to understand.
[00:58:22] Amen?
[00:58:23] So we're in a little bit different situation than Moses, but let's continue in Exodus 2, starting at the 15th verse.
[00:58:27] It says, Sounds a little depressing.
[00:58:42] Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock.
[00:58:49] Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and he came to the rescue and he watered their flock.
[00:58:54] And here we are, again, we see Moses' heart, don't we?
[00:58:57] He's like, he's helping the underdog, those who are oppressed.
[00:59:01] He's standing up for the weak in society.
[00:59:04] And when the girls returned to Reuel, their father, he asked them, Why have you returned so early today?
[00:59:09] Like, this should usually take you all day.
[00:59:11] Why are you back so early?
[00:59:12] And they answered, An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds.
[00:59:15] He even drew water for us and watered the flock.
[00:59:18] Where is he?
[00:59:19] Reuel asked his daughters.
[00:59:20] Why did you leave him?
[00:59:21] Invite him to have something to eat.
[00:59:23] This guy lived in a desert.
[00:59:24] He had seven daughters.
[00:59:25] Like, he needed to marry these ladies off.
[00:59:27] Like, and here's a good guy.
[00:59:28] Why didn't you bring him home?
[00:59:32] And so Moses agreed to stay with this man who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.
[00:59:38] And Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom.
[00:59:41] Listen to what his name means, saying, I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.
[00:59:48] So think about Moses' situation here.
[00:59:50] A moment ago, Moses thought he was stepping into purpose.
[00:59:54] He thought he was being obedient to the Lord.
[00:59:56] He saw oppression, he acted, he tried to intervene, and then what happened?
[01:00:02] He was betrayed, wasn't he?
[01:00:05] Because if you think about it, there was only three people who knew about that act.
[01:00:12] Moses, the guy that was in the sand, and the guy he helped.
[01:00:17] And we know that Moses didn't say anything.
[01:00:20] We know the guy in the sand didn't say anything, which means that the most likely conclusion is the very person that Moses rescued talked.
[01:00:31] The one who he helped became the reason that he's exposed, and that does something to you.
[01:00:38] This guy, I'm sure Moses is thinking, he should have been grateful.
[01:00:41] He should have seen what God's doing through me and believed that, you know, that this was going to, I really believe that Moses thought that this was going to start a revolution.
[01:00:50] Like, and they're all going to rise up and they're going to come against Egypt and they're going to be set free, but instead, betrayal.
[01:00:58] Betrayal is one of the most challenging experiences to process.
[01:01:01] It makes you wonder who you can trust and it makes you second guess your instincts.
[01:01:05] It makes you replay the moment over and over.
[01:01:08] Why did I even try to help?
[01:01:10] Why did I think I heard from God?
[01:01:12] Why did I step in?
[01:01:13] Why do I even care?
[01:01:17] And then there's disillusionment with God, and Moses is trying to do the right thing, and everything blows up in his face.
[01:01:23] You guys ever feel that?
[01:01:25] You're just trying to serve, you're trying to be obedient, but it just feels like you're not getting anywhere?
[01:01:30] You see, when obedience doesn't lead to immediate reward, but to immediate cost, church, that's when our faith is tested.
[01:01:39] And so at this point Moses runs, that's all he can do.
[01:01:41] He leaves the palace, he leaves everything that was familiar, his identity, everything that he's known, and he goes from the center of power in Egypt to the middle of nowhere in the desert.
[01:01:52] And the scripture doesn't tell you in the moment at this point, but later on we do hear that this wasn't just a short detour.
[01:02:01] Moses was in Midian for 40 years.
[01:02:07] The desert
[01:02:11] 40 years.
[01:02:12] Now that's a long time, isn't it?
[01:02:14] 40 years for bitterness to calcify or 40 years for trust to deepen?
[01:02:24] You see, the desert always gives you options.
[01:02:26] The heat always changes us.
[01:02:28] You can rehearse the offense until it becomes part of your personality, or you can surrender the offense until it becomes part of your formation.
[01:02:34] It's up to you what you experience in the desert church.
[01:02:38] In other words, Midian can become the place where Moses says, Listen, I'm done.
[01:02:41] I've tried it.
[01:02:41] It failed.
[01:02:42] I fell on my face.
[01:02:43] It's not going to work for me.
[01:02:44] I'm out.
[01:02:45] Or...
[01:02:46] It can become the very place where Moses learns that God's timing is wiser than my urgency.
[01:02:53] That God's ways are cleaner than my methods.
[01:02:56] God's not finished with me yet.
[01:02:59] Because Moses was not discarded.
[01:03:02] Moses was being developed.
[01:03:04] The fire was still there.
[01:03:06] The passion was still alive.
[01:03:07] But the passion must be refined by God into something that is holy and steady and ready to move in the capacities that God had called Moses to move in.
[01:03:21] And he was just a young punk.
[01:03:22] He wasn't there yet.
[01:03:26] Let me tell you something.
[01:03:28] I love brisket.
[01:03:33] I love pork butt.
[01:03:41] it's tender juicy falls apart on the plate but it doesn't start that way does it in fact brisket pork butt are some of the tougher cuts that you will find they're full of this connective tissue that is stubborn if you try to rush it on the grill or the oven you end up with something that's technically cooked but practically inedible and so what's the difference what do you have to do what's so important how do you make this delicious
[01:04:09] The process.
[01:04:10] Two things, right?
[01:04:12] Heat and time.
[01:04:14] You remove any of those things and you don't have brisket.
[01:04:18] You don't have a delicious pork butt.
[01:04:21] It turns something resistant into something tender.
[01:04:25] The connective tissues soften.
[01:04:27] They break down.
[01:04:28] The fat is rendered and you have something that's absolutely amazing.
[01:04:34] I'll meet you guys at Midwood after service today.
[01:04:38] You guys know where I'm going with this, don't you?
[01:04:42] You ready for this?
[01:04:43] You know what?
[01:04:43] I gotta say it.
[01:04:44] I gotta say it.
[01:04:46] We are all pork butts.
[01:04:53] And what God did in Moses, and what God does in us, listen, it's not microwave work.
[01:05:00] It's slow, it's steady, it's formative work.
[01:05:04] Because God is not only interested in getting you out of Egypt, listen, this is what's so important, and this is what we're going to see through so much of the book of Exodus, is that He wants to get Egypt out of you.
[01:05:17] And that takes time.
[01:05:19] There are things in us that do not come out quickly.
[01:05:21] Sin patterns do not come out quickly.
[01:05:24] Self-reliance and pride and fear and bitterness.
[01:05:27] Pain that we never processed.
[01:05:29] Wounds that we actually embrace as identity.
[01:05:32] And in His mercy, God applies the steady heat not to destroy us, but because there are things that need to break down.
[01:05:43] Isaiah 61 tells us that He wants to exchange beauty for our ashes.
[01:05:48] oil of joy for our mourning a garment of praise for the spirit of despair and it's not an instant process it's not superficial it's a work of redemption it taking what is burned and broken and hardened and making it something that is new and so if you are in a season that feels slow or hidden or repetitive i just want to encourage you today that that is exactly where you need to be
[01:06:20] Don't assume that God is absent.
[01:06:24] It may be that God is doing what He does best, and that is forming you low and slow, steady and sure, not just delivering you out of Egypt, but just as important, bringing Egypt out of you.
[01:06:45] Young people, I want to encourage you this morning because you have so much more time than others here.
[01:06:51] And you can avoid so many issues.
[01:06:56] And so often when we reach the desert times, we think it's a time of God's abandonment, but really it's a time of God's formation.
[01:07:03] You cannot become mature unless you go through the desert.
[01:07:06] Every one of us has to go through the desert.
[01:07:09] There are seasons of our life where we will be in the desert.
[01:07:11] There's no exception.
[01:07:13] If you want to build mass, muscle, you have to be in the gym.
[01:07:18] You're not an exception.
[01:07:22] If you want to lose weight in a healthy way, you have to figure out and be disciplined with your diet.
[01:07:28] It's part of the process.
[01:07:29] There are processes that we accept as normal, as right.
[01:07:32] It's just the way it has to be.
[01:07:34] And let me tell you, the desert is part of the process that you have to go through.
[01:07:39] Don't give up in the process.
[01:07:41] Don't make the desert a place where you pull back.
[01:07:49] Because we're in this for the long haul.
[01:07:51] The life that you desire cannot be formed in the near future.
[01:07:56] It takes your life.
[01:07:58] It takes you going through experience after experience and coming back to the Lord.
[01:08:02] And if you don't allow time for that to happen, listen, you'll never experience the formation that God has for you.
[01:08:12] And so a couple things today as we conclude, I would like to take a moment to give you to respond.
[01:08:17] Because some of us are listening to this story, we're realizing, listen, we're still in Egypt.
[01:08:21] We're still living there.
[01:08:23] We're still living under our sin, our guilt, our shame, our bondage, and maybe you've tried your willpower, you've tried self-improvement, you've tried hiding in the sand, but God's heart in Exodus is always this when it comes to sin.
[01:08:35] There's never exception.
[01:08:36] It is always deliverance.
[01:08:38] There is never any place for that in our lives.
[01:08:42] Period.
[01:08:43] And the clearest expression of that deliverance is Jesus.
[01:08:47] Jesus didn't come to just give you advice.
[01:08:49] He came to give you a new life.
[01:08:51] He lived without sin, He died for our sins, He rose again, and so now you can be forgiven, cleansed, you can be made new.
[01:08:59] And so as we bow our heads this morning, close our eyes, I just want to give you that opportunity to anybody this morning, if you've not received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, if you are still living in a place of brokenness and sin without that hope of eternity, I want to say there is hope this morning.
[01:09:13] Jesus died for people like you, for people like me.
[01:09:15] that you raise your hands I'd like to pray with you this morning if you'd like to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior amen anybody else this morning I'd like to receive Jesus we're just gonna pray together anybody else this morning amen let's call pray this together to the Lord come on let me find my place here Jesus I need you repeat after me I confess that I have sinned
[01:09:45] I cannot save myself.
[01:09:48] I believe You died on the cross for my sin and rose again.
[01:09:55] Forgive me, wash me, make me new.
[01:10:00] I surrender my life to You.
[01:10:03] Be my Lord and Savior.
[01:10:06] Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and lead me in Your ways.
[01:10:12] And it's in Jesus' name we pray.
[01:10:15] Amen.
[01:10:15] Amen.
[01:10:16] Amen.
[01:10:17] Let's give the Lord a hand.
[01:10:18] All right.
[01:10:19] If that's you, I want to encourage you to stop by Guest Central.
[01:10:21] We'd love to get you a Bible.
[01:10:22] We'd love to get you connected into some of the next steps that God has for you.
[01:10:27] But listen, some of you this morning, I want to have one more prayer.
[01:10:29] We do this.
[01:10:29] You guys know the routine.
[01:10:31] And we may not do it every week, but I want you to get comfortable with this because we want to give everybody an opportunity to respond.
[01:10:36] Because some of you this morning, maybe you feel like you're in Midian.
[01:10:41] It's hot.
[01:10:44] It's slower than you expected.
[01:10:45] It's harder.
[01:10:46] It's lonelier.
[01:10:48] And here is the great temptation of the desert to interpret delay as rejection, to interpret silence as absence, to let disappointment harden into bitterness.
[01:10:56] But I want to give you a word of counsel this morning, a word of advice that I'm still learning, and I'm still learning, and I'm still learning, and this is what I want to say to you.
[01:11:07] Learn to love the desert.
[01:11:11] Learn to love the desert.
[01:11:13] Not because it's easy, but because the desert can become holy ground when you stop fighting it and you start letting God form you in it.
[01:11:25] The desert is where God weans us off of shallow faith.
[01:11:29] The desert is where God purifies our motives.
[01:11:31] The desert is where God teaches us to stop grasping for control and doing things our way and in our timing.
[01:11:39] And I want to say this very clear this morning without any apologies.
[01:11:43] The solution, the solution is always a deeper walk with God.
[01:11:48] Parents, your solution with the struggles in the desert of your children, the solution is just a deeper walk with God.
[01:11:54] That's the solution.
[01:11:55] And I don't say this flippantly.
[01:11:57] I don't say this as a cliche.
[01:11:58] I truly believe that.
[01:12:02] And sometimes we think that the answer is, I just need to do more.
[01:12:05] And listen, praying more is good, serving more is good, reading more is good, but only when those things are not attempts to earn God's approval or force a timeline.
[01:12:17] Only when they become pursuits of deeper communion with God.
[01:12:24] Because the goal isn't activity, the goal is intimacy.
[01:12:29] The goal is not just output, the goal is to learn, listen, to abide.
[01:12:36] And so if you're in Midian, use it wisely.
[01:12:41] Let God search your heart.
[01:12:44] Let Him heal you.
[01:12:47] Get into those areas that you have been hiding in the sand for so long because the maturity and the peace that you desire is always on the other side of Midian.
[01:12:59] The promised land was on the other side of the desert.
[01:13:03] Let Him restore your love for Him, not just for your desire to escape the season,
[01:13:09] And so if that's you this morning, if you feel like you're in Midian and you just need prayer, I encourage you to bow your head, close your eyes, and kind of lift your hands up in a way to receive from the Lord.
[01:13:16] I just want to pray with you today.
[01:13:18] Just agree with me and pray.
[01:13:19] Father, I pray for every person in a desert season right now.
[01:13:22] I know that many of us are here, and maybe not our whole lives, but maybe there's areas of our lives that are in the desert.
[01:13:28] Maybe we're thriving in some area, but man, spiritually,
[01:13:32] We're just struggling.
[01:13:33] We have a lot of questions that we don't know how to answer.
[01:13:35] We feel abandoned.
[01:13:37] We don't feel this emotional high like we used to when we come into your presence.
[01:13:41] And for some of us, some things have become a chore that used to be a joy.
[01:13:46] So where there has been delay, Lord, I just pray you give us endurance.
[01:13:50] Where there has been disappointment, give us hope.
[01:13:53] Where there has been betrayal, bring healing.
[01:13:58] Where there has been confusion, we ask for your clarity and your peace.
[01:14:02] Teach us patience that is not passive but that is faithful.
[01:14:08] Teach us trust that is not shallow
[01:14:11] Keep us from bitterness.
[01:14:13] And Lord, restore the passion and our love for you.
[01:14:16] Restore the joy in your presence, the hunger for your word.
[01:14:20] Restore desire for your kingdom and your ways.
[01:14:23] Lord, we just give you permission to do the low and slow work in us, not just to get us out of Egypt, but to get Egypt out of us.
[01:14:35] this morning we just let you know that we embrace the desert as a place of formation where our faith becomes steady and our lives become clean and if that's your prayer this morning say amen amen let's stand
[01:14:51] I want to speak a blessing over you as we leave but before I do just want to let you know you have those cards everybody grab those don't let sneak those out don't forget about those we want to make sure we get those from you there'll be people in the baskets for this to grow and serve make sure you put those in the baskets as you leave and
[01:15:10] Additionally tomorrow we start the fast so we'd love to join us don't forget to jump into that it's gonna be a great time of formation and I love doing these things together because it's great it's great suffering together amen so so once you posture yourself in such a way to receive a blessing this morning the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face to shine upon you be gracious to you
[01:15:35] The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.
[01:15:39] Let's give the Lord a hand this morning.
[01:15:40] Amen.
[01:15:41] Amen.
[01:15:43] Have a great week.