The ‘Smooth Path’ Fallacy: Is Obedience a Transaction?

[00:00:09] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Okay.
[00:03:04] Thank you for watching!

[00:04:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Good morning, Watermark Church.
[00:04:43] We have an opportunity to lift up some praise this morning together to our God who is so worthy of our praise.
[00:04:49] Let's sing this song together.
[00:04:58] I want to dance like David, I want to feel like Paul I want to sing like Silas, stepping down these prison walls I want to face that fire, it won't burn me low God's got my back, shall have me shackled into the wall I want to walk like Moses, right through the waves One day you'll see the promised land no longer stays But the fear is tough

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I'm gonna praise, I'm gonna praise I praise the mountain-moving body, crazy breaker of chains Gonna praise, I'm gonna praise I praise the heaven-seated, undefeated, highest of kings That's who I praise, yeah That's who I praise, that's who I praise

[00:05:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
I want to burn my face I want to sleep like 10 you're leaving in the lights

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I'm gonna get that promise just like Jericho Yeah, I know what I'll make it for I'm gonna praise, I'm gonna praise I praise the mountains, living bodies, dreams that break through the chains I'm gonna praise, I'm gonna praise I praise the heaven-seated, undefeated, highest of kings That's who I praise
[00:06:38] Do the impossible things, that's who I praise That's who I praise, that's who I praise He is the Lion of Judah He is the Lamb, not the slave
[00:06:56] The only one who's worthy, worthy, worthy of all of His names That's who I praise He is the risen Messiah He is the Ancient of Days The only one who's worthy, worthy, worthy of all of His names That's who I praise
[00:07:26] I praise the mountain-moving, body-raising, breaker of chains, I'm gonna praise, I'm gonna praise I praise the heaven-seeing, undefeated, highest of nations, that's who I praise I praise the God who's proven he can do impossible things, that's who I praise
[00:07:52] That's who I praise, that's who I praise That's who I praise

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
That's who I praise I wanna love like Jesus, that kind of grace I wanna live like I've got no more precious time to waste I'm gonna give Him glory with all my things Cause there's no greater, stronger, higher name And that's who I praise

[00:08:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
My name's Sarah Mann and I am so happy to be here with you this morning.
[00:08:40] We're going to do a few announcements and then get back to worship.
[00:08:44] First, we have Marketplace Thanksgiving Food Collection.
[00:08:48] We are trying to feed the families across Ironel County in hopes that everybody can enjoy Thanksgiving this year.
[00:08:55] You can be part of that by dropping off food donations out in the lobby.
[00:08:59] Also, Operation Christmas Child Time!
[00:09:03] Whether you're packing your own shoebox or you want to donate items for our youth packing party, these shoeboxes are more than a gift.
[00:09:10] It's a way that we can tell children about Jesus so that they can follow him forever more.
[00:09:15] So let's get to packing!
[00:09:17] Also, we're going to be decking the halls and decorating.
[00:09:22] If you are newer to Watermark and you haven't seen the decor at Christmas time, it's like if, what did we say, Pastor Joel Cracker Barrel and Bill Moore collide to get Christmas time.
[00:09:44] And we'd love for you to be a part in helping us today.
[00:09:45] Five o'clock, come inside, jingle with us, do some Christmas caroling, munch on some delicious appetizers and sweet treats.
[00:09:48] Now let's get back to worship.

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
There's a man on the throne With scars in his hands A lamb who has broken The power of sin A son by a father
[00:10:40] All praise to the Father All praise to the Son All praise to the Spirit
[00:11:24] There's a Father who loved us before our first breath A Father who chose us despite all our myths No one can fathom the price that He paid
[00:11:52] When He gave up His only Son to save All praise to the Father All praise to the Son All praise to the Spirit
[00:12:19] Holy, Holy, Holy All the angels sing To the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
[00:12:48] Resurrection power is flowing through my veins It's the gift of the Father to fill us with His love
[00:13:14] Encode us in power To do the things He does All praise to the Father All praise to the Son All praise to the Spirit O let Your kingdom come
[00:13:46] Holy, Holy, Holy All the angels sing To the Father, Son, and Spirit Manifest in Trinity Hallelujah To the Lamb Thou wast slain
[00:14:17] Hallelujah to the Father who saves Hallelujah Holy Spirit hear our praise Hallelujah all the glory
[00:14:47] Hallelujah to the Lamb that was slain Hallelujah to the Father who stays Hallelujah Holy Spirit
[00:15:27] All praise to the Father All praise to the Son All praise to the Spirit Let your kingdom come Holy, holy, holy All the angels sing
[00:15:55] To the Father, Son, and Spirit Magnificent Trinity
[00:16:19] I won't forget the wonder of how you brought Deliverance, the exodus of my heart As you found me, you freed me Held back the waters from my beliefs, oh Yahweh
[00:16:44] Lord of God who fights for me Lord of every victory Hallelujah Hallelujah You have torn apart the sea You have led me through the deep Hallelujah Hallelujah
[00:17:17] Now by day is a sign that you are with me The fire by night, the guiding light to my feet Cause you found me, you freed me Held back the waters from my release Oh Yahweh You're the God who fights for me Lord of every victory
[00:17:49] Hallelujah, Hallelujah You have torn apart the sea You have led me through the deep Hallelujah, Hallelujah You're the God who fights for me Lord of every victory Hallelujah
[00:18:16] Hallelujah You have torn apart the sea You have led me through the deep Hallelujah Hallelujah

[00:18:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Scripture tells us that our God led the Israelites out of Egypt so that they could freely worship God.
[00:18:58] Our God is with us in our seasons that are like Egypt where we are held in chains and bondage and He always offers us a way out to worship Him freely.
[00:19:01] So don't miss an opportunity this morning to worship your God in freedom.
[00:19:03] Thank you God.

[00:19:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
Cause you stepped into my Egypt You took me by the hand You marched me out in freedom Into the promised land Now I will not forget you I'll sing of all you've done Death is swaddled on forever By the fury of your love You stepped into my Egypt
[00:19:33] You took me by the hands You marched me out in freedom Into the palmless land Now I will not forget you I'll sing of all you've done Death is swallowed up forever By the glory of your love
[00:19:59] Lord of God who fights for me Lord of every victory Hallelujah Hallelujah You have torn apart the sea You have read me through the deep Hallelujah
[00:20:21] Hallelujah You're the God who fights for me Lord of every victory Hallelujah Hallelujah You have torn apart the sea You have led me through the deep Hallelujah Hallelujah
[00:21:19] You stepped into my knee and you took me by the hand You marched me out of freedom into the promised land Now I will not forget you God, I'll sing of all you've done Death is swallowed up forever

[00:22:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Can we celebrate that our God sets us free?
[00:22:17] Father, we thank you for the freedom that only you offer us through the fury of your love.
[00:22:26] We thank you for that love that is so demonstrated beautifully by your Son, Jesus.
[00:22:32] Thank you for taking us by the hand, for leading us in dark seasons and joy-filled seasons.
[00:22:41] We thank you that there is not a person on this earth who is not offered freedom.
[00:22:47] And God, we just pray.
[00:22:48] We pray what this song says.
[00:22:49] We pray for deliverance in our families, in our cities, in our nation.
[00:22:56] God, we are so thankful that not only did you set free the Israelites, but you set us free.
[00:23:02] And you love us.
[00:23:04] You're the same God then, and you're the same God now.
[00:23:09] We so thank you for every opportunity to praise you, to lift our voices with an overflowing cup of gratitude.
[00:23:17] We thank you for the reminders of what you've done in the past that help us shape our outlook on the future so that we can see your character and see your hand in everything.
[00:23:28] We thank you, God, and we give you all the glory this morning.
[00:23:31] And it's in your name we pray, amen.

[00:23:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Well, good morning.
[00:23:57] It's great to see you all today.
[00:23:59] So glad you're here in this place today.
[00:24:02] When you came in this morning, did you smell food?
[00:24:04] You know, we had a really good event here last night.
[00:24:07] The ladies got together.
[00:24:08] Over a couple hundred women came together and had a wonderful night.
[00:24:12] Good fellowship, great program.
[00:24:14] Yeah, it was an awesome evening.
[00:24:16] For those who got to come, I think you had a wonderful comedian.
[00:24:19] It was hilarious.
[00:24:20] Louie was sharing some of her bit with me this morning on the way to church.
[00:24:24] It was really good.
[00:24:25] But I'm glad they got to do that.
[00:24:26] I'm glad you got to do that and be a part of that.
[00:24:28] We do thank all of those who worked really hard to pull that off.
[00:24:31] That's not an easy event to do.
[00:24:34] So we appreciate all you did.
[00:24:36] This week is a big week in our country.
[00:24:38] On Tuesday we recognize our veterans.
[00:24:41] It's Veterans Day.
[00:24:42] And so today we want to recognize our veterans here at Watermark Church.
[00:24:46] So if you're a veteran, if you served in the Armed Forces, would you mind standing if you're able and let us salute you.
[00:24:53] Yeah.
[00:24:55] We appreciate you.
[00:24:56] It's awesome.
[00:25:00] Fantastic.
[00:25:02] Thank you so much.
[00:25:04] We appreciate you.
[00:25:05] We appreciate what you've done for our country, the sacrifice that you made in serving, and we do salute you.
[00:25:12] We thank you.
[00:25:12] We honor you.
[00:25:13] And we pray this will be a good week for you.
[00:25:15] You know, we enjoy the freedoms that you help protect for us, not the least of which is the ability to be in this place today to worship our God, to worship Him freely.
[00:25:26] So thank you for all you did to make that possible for us.
[00:25:30] So today we're continuing a series we started a number of weeks ago.
[00:25:33] It's called Moses.
[00:25:34] We're digging into the life of Moses.
[00:25:36] We're in part eight in this series that will ultimately be a 20-week series.
[00:25:41] So we're getting near the halfway point.
[00:25:44] And I'm really excited about what we're learning.
[00:25:46] And today we're going to learn a little bit
[00:25:48] About how to have a smooth path in life.
[00:25:51] Who wants a smooth path in life, right?
[00:25:54] How many of you have been on a pretty bumpy path in life?
[00:25:57] You know what that's like, right?
[00:25:58] Uneven, a little turbulent.
[00:26:01] Well, these days, there can be a lot of that.
[00:26:04] But the Lord says, I want to give you a smooth path in life.
[00:26:06] I want to make your path straight.
[00:26:08] I want to make it even.
[00:26:09] And here's where He says that in Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6.
[00:26:14] Take a look.
[00:26:15] It says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
[00:26:17] Lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
[00:26:25] You know, when I look at that, the promise is clear here, right?
[00:26:28] The promise is that He will make our paths straight.
[00:26:34] And in the original language, that could be interpreted as even.
[00:26:38] It could be interpreted as smooth.
[00:26:41] But as with so many of God's promises in His Word, there are often premises associated with it.
[00:26:48] In other words, God says, you do this, then I'll do this.
[00:26:52] So God is saying, here, I want to make your path straight.
[00:26:55] I want to make it smooth.
[00:26:56] I don't want you to go through a bumpy path in life.
[00:26:58] But in order for you to experience that, there are a couple of things that I need from you.
[00:27:03] He says, first of all, I want you to trust me with all of your heart.
[00:27:08] Now think about that.
[00:27:10] God doesn't say I want you to trust me with some of your heart, or with a little of your heart, or with whatever part of your heart you're willing to give me.
[00:27:19] But he says, I want you to trust me with all your heart.
[00:27:22] And then he says, I want you to lean hard.
[00:27:25] Not into your way of thinking.
[00:27:28] Not into your mindset.
[00:27:30] But into mine.
[00:27:31] Into my way of thinking.
[00:27:32] Into my mindset.
[00:27:34] In other words, I want you to seek me.
[00:27:36] I want you to seek my will over your will.
[00:27:40] Not just when it's convenient.
[00:27:42] Not just when it's easy.
[00:27:44] Not when it suits your ways.
[00:27:47] But in all your ways.
[00:27:48] Did you catch that?
[00:27:50] Then God delivers on his promise to make your path smooth in life.
[00:27:55] Otherwise, you can expect a bumpy ride through life.
[00:27:58] And all of you in this room who raised your hand earlier and said, I've been on a bumpy ride.
[00:28:03] I know what that's like.
[00:28:04] And I'll bet.
[00:28:05] And I'm not a betting man.
[00:28:06] But if I were.
[00:28:08] I would say that the times that you've experienced the most turbulence in your life is when you weren't doing what God asked you to do here.
[00:28:15] When you weren't trusting Him with all your heart, when you weren't submitting to Him in all your ways, when you weren't leaning on His understanding but instead yours.
[00:28:25] You see, what happens when we do that is life does get bumpy.
[00:28:29] and to me this is a no-brainer but yet so many people in life are unwilling to do life God's way and as a result they experience that really bumpy ride through life now that's not to say that life is going to be perfect for believers it's not Jesus never promised us that but it is to say that life goes so much better and so much more smoothly
[00:28:54] When we're following His will, when we are trusting Him with all of our hearts, when we're leaning into His understanding and not our own.
[00:29:02] Life works.
[00:29:03] This place is not perfect.
[00:29:05] This earth is far from that.
[00:29:07] So again, it'll never be perfect, but when we're leaning into Him and His will for our lives, it'll be so much better.
[00:29:14] Listen, this is where we left Moses last week.
[00:29:17] After receiving God's call in that burning bush to go back to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of it,
[00:29:23] Egyptian captivity Moses essentially said to God he said who who me you want me to lead the Israelites out of captivity I'm not that guy anymore God and then he reels off these excuses right he says they they won't respect me they won't believe me they won't understand me he said they won't even like me God anybody but me I'm not the guy for that job but God says you know what Moses
[00:29:52] You're going to do this, but not on your power, in my power.
[00:29:57] God said, I will be with you.
[00:30:01] And those five words change everything.
[00:30:03] It changed everything for Moses and it will change everything for you when you come to the realization that God will be with you.
[00:30:11] When you are following his way, when you're doing those things that that wise author of Proverbs told us.
[00:30:17] And then Moses was empowered by this staff that God really took control of and he gave Moses that staff to now be empowered by him.
[00:30:28] So Moses' objections are answered and he was ready to be obedient to God's call in his life.
[00:30:38] Here's the question I have for you.
[00:30:40] I wonder if you're ready to be obedient to God's call in your life, whatever that call might be.
[00:30:46] If you're willing to step out in faith because the truth is, as we learned last week, what God calls you to, He equips you for.
[00:30:54] but even more than that he empowers you whether it's discipling your children or or witnessing to a lost friend or family member whether it's sharing your testimony or serving in a vital ministry role whether it's giving generously or cheerfully to the Lord or or living your life in a way that is Christ honoring and inspiring you know some of you
[00:31:17] You've never considered that the Lord has a plan for you, that He has a path for you, a path in life that He wants to make smooth for you.
[00:31:26] Some of you, you've been on a bumpy path and for far too long, and you would love to get on a path that's much more smooth, that's much more even, that's far less curvy, that's much straighter.
[00:31:38] Some of you are struggling with an area of disobedience in your life right now, something that's standing between you and the Lord, and it's causing a whole lot of turbulence in your life right now.
[00:31:50] Some of you are wrestling with some serious pain, with some heartache today, and you wonder if God cares about you.
[00:32:00] Some of you, you're really lonely today.
[00:32:03] You're in need of a soul brother or sister.
[00:32:06] Others of you, maybe you're considering stepping out in faith in an area of your life, but you need some clarity.
[00:32:12] You need some direction.
[00:32:14] Does that cover about everybody in here?
[00:32:17] In more ways than one?
[00:32:18] Here's the truth.
[00:32:20] No matter where you are in life's journey, no matter where you are in your faith journey, I don't believe you're here today by accident.
[00:32:26] I don't believe you're tuned in today by accident.
[00:32:28] I think the Lord has you here on purpose and for a purpose today because He wants to help you to find that smooth path in life, the path He had for Moses, the path He has for you.
[00:32:40] The path that you, that I, desperately seek in this world.
[00:32:45] Before we dig into His Word, let's pray.
[00:32:50] Our Father, I thank You so much for Your Word, for the promises that are in Your Word, not the least of which, God, is that You want to make our path in life smooth.
[00:33:01] God, all of us in this room have been on bumpy paths in life.
[00:33:05] And we know that it's because we haven't followed you and your will.
[00:33:09] God, when we get outside of your plan for our life, life gets really hectic and very fast.
[00:33:14] It gets turbulent.
[00:33:15] It gets really uncomfortable.
[00:33:17] God, there are some people in this room today who are on that path and they realize even in this moment that it's not a path they want to stay on.
[00:33:26] God I pray that you open our hearts and and our minds and our ears today our eyes to see what it is that you have for us God would you would you open us up to the reality of of what you want to do what you're willing to do in our lives God teach us something fresh and new in a story that maybe we've heard a hundred times but God I know I believe that you have something powerful to teach each of us today so God we surrender ourselves to you
[00:33:55] and your lead this morning.
[00:33:57] We pray it in Jesus name.
[00:33:59] Amen.
[00:34:01] So standing barefoot.
[00:34:03] In that arid wilderness, by that burning bush, Moses resolved to obediently follow God's path for his life.
[00:34:11] He was going to trust God with the rest.
[00:34:14] He counted on the Lord to make his path smooth.
[00:34:18] Now, if you want to follow along in your Bible today, you want to follow along in your outline, I encourage you to do that.
[00:34:23] We're going to be in Exodus chapter 4.
[00:34:26] verses 18 and following we're gonna work our way to the end of that chapter and I'm gonna make some observations here for you about what God was up to in Moses life and then we're gonna take those up observations and we're gonna see what kind of applications God has for us in our lives because I know that God's gonna speak to your heart today you'll speak to my heart as well through what he did in Moses life so here's the first observation you might write this down
[00:34:54] Moses had to tell his father-in-law and his boss his plans what he was going to do now understand this could be pretty tricky not sure Jethro his father-in-law is going to be real happy about losing his best shepherd and also losing his daughter and his grandsons when they head back to Egypt so let's see what
[00:35:15] Let's see how that conversation goes and how Jethro responds to Moses when he tells him about his plans.
[00:35:22] In verse 18, Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and he said to him, Let me return to Egypt.
[00:35:29] Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.
[00:35:36] So let's see what Jethro says.
[00:35:38] Go.
[00:35:40] I wish you well.
[00:35:41] Did you see that coming?
[00:35:43] Now, Moses didn't give Jethro all the details here, right?
[00:35:47] He spared some of the details, but he gave him enough to understand that there was some unfinished business that Moses had in Egypt that he needed to attend to.
[00:35:55] Now, did Jethro try to talk him out of it?
[00:36:00] Did he forbid him to go?
[00:36:02] Did he give him a hard time about it?
[00:36:04] Did he guilt him for taking his daughter and his grandchildren away?
[00:36:09] No.
[00:36:11] He said, go, I wish you well.
[00:36:13] In fact, he said, shalom, peace be with you.
[00:36:17] You have my blessing.
[00:36:18] So the Lord was already smoothing Moses' path.
[00:36:22] and understand and most of you can relate you know telling your in-laws that you're moving away with their daughter and their grandsons you know you're going to be a long way away and you know you're going to put them at risk here that would be a risky endeavor and it might not go too smoothly but yet God was already making a way for Moses wasn't he making his path smooth
[00:36:43] There are a couple of observations that I want to make here that are worth noting.
[00:36:46] And by the way, I want to give credit where credit's due.
[00:36:49] And I've tried to do this throughout this series.
[00:36:51] Chuck Swindoll wrote a book years ago called Moses.
[00:36:56] He studied the life of Moses as he did so many characters in God's Word.
[00:37:00] He writes a wonderful commentary.
[00:37:03] And I've leaned on
[00:37:04] Some of his teaching in that book throughout this series and I just want to continue to give him credit where credit is due.
[00:37:11] But I want you to notice a couple things really important that's happening and that really applies to our lives here.
[00:37:16] For one, when God calls you to a task that's going to impact those closest to you
[00:37:24] It's always a good idea to seek their blessing.
[00:37:27] It really is.
[00:37:28] And this is especially true if God calls you to an area of vocational ministry or to the mission field.
[00:37:34] And I realize that most of you in here won't be called to that, but some of you may.
[00:37:39] But all of us in here are called to an area
[00:37:42] of ministry.
[00:37:42] I have some good friends who really have a powerful and interesting testimony about God's calling and their lives.
[00:37:50] My good friends Errol and Grima Zimmerman, who you had an opportunity to meet a couple of months ago.
[00:37:56] They're our ministry partners in the Dominican Republic.
[00:37:59] And so they share this testimony and Errol
[00:38:02] First sense the Lord's call to the mission field when he was on a short-term mission trip in the Dominican Republic, the kind of trip that we take a couple of times a year down there.
[00:38:12] And so he was sensing while he was there that the Lord was calling him to leave, he and his wife, to leave their jobs, really good jobs on the island of Curacao, which is an island paradise, to leave those jobs, to leave their family, to leave their home,
[00:38:28] and to move to the Dominican Republic where they spoke a different language than they spoke as a first language and to establish a ministry there for children in need, for impoverished children.
[00:38:39] So when he got home and excitedly shared that vision with his wife Agrima, she will tell you that she was not convinced or excited about what the Lord had called Errol to do.
[00:38:50] In fact, she told Errol, the Lord may have called you, but he has not yet called me.
[00:38:57] And you can hear her saying that.
[00:38:59] Of course, Errol couldn't and he wouldn't go without her.
[00:39:04] So Agrippa goes on to share, and if you hear her share her testimony, she'll say that later during a women's Bible study, the Lord really answered her objection.
[00:39:13] She was reading, studying with her friends, Ephesians chapter 5, which is the Lord's plan for a Christian marriage and a household.
[00:39:21] And one of the passages that really spoke to her was Ephesians 5 verse 22, and here's what it says.
[00:39:27] Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.
[00:39:33] Well, that kind of hit a grandma really hard.
[00:39:35] She realized in that moment that the Lord was making clear to her that if he was calling her husband to ministry, to missions, that it was also her calling to honor his.
[00:39:48] Whether she sensed that he was calling her directly or not, but it was her job to go with him
[00:39:54] and to support him in any way that she possibly could.
[00:39:57] And today Erwin and Grima make an awesome mission team and we're so proud and blessed to be able to support and to serve alongside them.
[00:40:05] And by the way I want you to note this because lest husbands here think you're off the hook,
[00:40:10] The Apostle Paul has something for you too in verse 25 of Ephesians 5.
[00:40:15] He says, Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
[00:40:23] You know what that means, men?
[00:40:25] You're to love your wives with a sacrificial love.
[00:40:29] That is a willingness to lay down your life for your wife.
[00:40:34] Are you willing to do that?
[00:40:36] When God calls you to a task that affects those closest to you, I think it's important that you get them on board, that you give them a chance to have some ownership.
[00:40:45] I appreciate that Errol gave a grime of the space she needed to hear from God too.
[00:40:50] And I think Moses got his father-in-law and his wife on board with his calling as well.
[00:40:56] I want you to know something else here that I think is important.
[00:40:58] That is, when God reveals His calling in your life, whatever that may be,
[00:41:03] Next steps will flow naturally without being forced.
[00:41:08] This is important to understand.
[00:41:11] When God called me to vocational ministry, I was just a freshman in college.
[00:41:15] I still had three and a half years of of undergrad school to go but I knew that after I finished that undergrad degree that I was going to go to seminary and during that time I was pursuing a degree in business admin concentrating in finance and economics so that's where I would spend my time
[00:41:34] But my heart was really in ministry.
[00:41:36] The Lord opened doors for me to serve first as an intern and later as a part-time youth minister in my own church and children's minister.
[00:41:44] And so when I went to seminary, it was really cool how the Lord continued to open doors for me and for Lori.
[00:41:51] The first of which was this, that Lori, my bride-to-be,
[00:41:55] We never questioned what God was doing in my life and she always saw that as as her calling as well and still does even to this day and so you know we left for seminary we didn't have a we didn't have anything I mean we we had worked part time making a few hundred dollars a month and that was it we went to seminary with with nothing no job prospects no open doors yet but yet the Lord
[00:42:22] Would open doors for us and provide for us.
[00:42:24] And it was amazing what He did during those years.
[00:42:26] We even built our first house while we were in seminary.
[00:42:30] You believe that?
[00:42:31] We had our first two children while we were in seminary.
[00:42:35] And we didn't even have insurance.
[00:42:38] It was a tough season for us.
[00:42:40] But yet the Lord provided for us.
[00:42:42] He guided us because we were just simply trying to be obedient to His will.
[00:42:46] And you know what?
[00:42:48] Life worked.
[00:42:49] It flowed naturally.
[00:42:51] I will say this, it didn't flow easily necessarily, but it flowed naturally.
[00:42:57] Life was always a challenge.
[00:42:58] Watermark Church is a testimony to that calling too.
[00:43:01] The Lord has provided for and built this church using His people.
[00:43:06] Many of you, Lori and I, we just tried to honor His call in our lives and we never forced anything.
[00:43:13] It has all flowed naturally because in this church, this is His church.
[00:43:17] It's His church and it's His plan.
[00:43:20] Here's the truth.
[00:43:21] When you're obedient to God's call in your life, next steps always flow naturally.
[00:43:27] You may not be called to the mission field.
[00:43:29] You may not be called to vocational ministry.
[00:43:31] Though some of you may and will.
[00:43:33] But no matter what God calls you to, when you trust and submit to Him and His lead, next steps will flow naturally without being forced.
[00:43:44] Understand that.
[00:43:45] You watch Him pave the way.
[00:43:47] He will open doors.
[00:43:50] He will direct your paths.
[00:43:51] He'll give you the words, the time, the skill set that you need to succeed in every way for His sake.
[00:43:57] God was clearing the way for Moses too.
[00:44:01] Here's a second observation that I want you to see from this text.
[00:44:05] Secondly, Moses determined to follow God's will without hesitation or trepidation.
[00:44:12] Look at verses 19 and 20.
[00:44:14] Now the Lord had said to Moses and Midian, Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.
[00:44:23] So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and he started back to Egypt.
[00:44:28] And he took the staff of God in his hand.
[00:44:31] So you look at this, you say, well, Moses packed up his little family here.
[00:44:34] He got Zipporah, he got his two sons, they got their donkey, a few possessions, whatever they had, and they were off on that dusty path to Egypt.
[00:44:43] And knowing Moses had some concerns, the Lord graciously answered his fears.
[00:44:50] Do you see that?
[00:44:51] What does the Lord do?
[00:44:53] You know, here's a question.
[00:44:54] Do you think that Moses had forgotten why he fled Egypt 40 years earlier?
[00:44:59] No way!
[00:45:00] Of course he remembered that.
[00:45:01] How could you forget that?
[00:45:03] Surely that was still on his mind.
[00:45:05] And God knew that.
[00:45:06] And now Moses was taking his family with him.
[00:45:09] So the Lord knew that Moses was wrestling with some fears, some anxiety.
[00:45:15] So what does God do?
[00:45:16] He lets Moses know that the men that he feared in Egypt were no longer a threat to him.
[00:45:22] It was safe for him to return.
[00:45:24] And of course Moses had the staff of God with him too, which represented God's power.
[00:45:28] So what more could he need than that?
[00:45:31] But here's another observation.
[00:45:33] That is that God knows your fears.
[00:45:36] He knows your anxieties too.
[00:45:38] Nothing escapes His notice.
[00:45:41] In fact, He cares about what stresses you, what scares you, what concerns you, what overwhelms you.
[00:45:49] And He cares about it more than you do.
[00:45:51] That's why the Apostle Peter told you and me to cast all your anxiety on Him.
[00:45:58] Because He cares for you.
[00:45:59] Isn't that amazing?
[00:46:02] Isn't that life-changing news that the God of the universe cares about you?
[00:46:06] He cares about what's on your mind.
[00:46:08] He cares about what's stressing you, what anxieties are overwhelming you and even now.
[00:46:13] And He says, look, you can cast them on me.
[00:46:16] I can handle it.
[00:46:18] I care about you and far more than you can ever imagine.
[00:46:23] So God was reassuring Moses.
[00:46:25] He was taking care of his anxieties.
[00:46:26] He was making sure that his path to Egypt was smooth, that it was even, that it was straight.
[00:46:33] He'll do the same in your life too when you're following His will without hesitation, without trepidation, casting all your anxiety on Him.
[00:46:43] And I want you to notice something else.
[00:46:44] What faith Moses has here.
[00:46:47] Let's give him some credit.
[00:46:48] You might write this down.
[00:46:49] After initially offering God every excuse he could think of for why he was the wrong man for this task, he finally stepped out in faith.
[00:47:01] Question for you.
[00:47:03] When's the last time you took a step of faith?
[00:47:06] When's the last time that you trusted God to direct your path?
[00:47:11] You know, the truth is, Moses could have stayed in Midian.
[00:47:14] It would have been safe there for him.
[00:47:16] He would have been fine.
[00:47:16] He could have lived out his days there.
[00:47:19] But he stepped out in faith.
[00:47:21] Now you would get to see God's amazing work.
[00:47:24] By the way, you can't see God work in amazing ways if you're not willing to take a step of faith.
[00:47:30] Kind of reminds me of another guy in the New Testament.
[00:47:32] You remember Peter?
[00:47:33] Remember when Jesus walked up to him in a boat, walking on water?
[00:47:38] Peter says, I want to walk on water.
[00:47:39] Jesus says, well, step out of the boat.
[00:47:41] He did, and he took a few steps of faith on that water, and he was walking on water.
[00:47:47] Here's the truth.
[00:47:48] You can't walk on water if you're not willing to get out of the boat.
[00:47:52] If you're not willing to take a step of faith.
[00:47:54] And Peter was willing to do that.
[00:47:56] Here's the truth in your life and mine.
[00:47:58] If we're not willing to take a step of faith, we'll miss God's glory, His provision, what only He can do in our lives.
[00:48:05] So where is God calling you?
[00:48:07] To take a step of faith.
[00:48:10] And will you do it?
[00:48:12] Listen, we also need to acknowledge one more thing here in verse 20.
[00:48:15] What did Moses make sure that he had with him?
[00:48:19] The staff.
[00:48:20] Why is that important?
[00:48:23] Yeah, because it represents the power of God.
[00:48:25] It shows that God is with Him.
[00:48:27] Listen, when we step out in faith to do His will, write this down, not only does He equip us, but He empowers us.
[00:48:35] Do you understand that?
[00:48:37] This was no longer Moses' shepherd's staff.
[00:48:39] This is the staff of God.
[00:48:41] I bet Moses kept that staff pretty close, don't you?
[00:48:45] I know I would have.
[00:48:47] It reminded him that he wasn't doing this on his own power.
[00:48:50] And you see, when we're walking in faith, you and I, God's will, when we're following His will, we aren't doing it on our own power.
[00:49:00] I want you to look at verse 21.
[00:49:01] The Lord said to Moses, When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have given you the power to do.
[00:49:09] But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
[00:49:14] So the Lord gave Moses a command.
[00:49:16] He also gave him a reminder here.
[00:49:19] He was to perform all the miracles that the Lord empowered him to perform.
[00:49:24] But he also needed to remember that Pharaoh was not going to be impressed.
[00:49:29] He wasn't.
[00:49:30] Some of you are thinking right now, why did God hearten Pharaoh's heart?
[00:49:37] Why did he need to do that?
[00:49:39] And the truth is, first of all, God doesn't owe you or me an explanation for anything He does, right?
[00:49:45] He's God and we're not.
[00:49:47] Some things are above our pay grade.
[00:49:48] We may not get the answer to some of our questions this side of heaven.
[00:49:52] In fact, the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 11.33, Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable His judgments and His paths beyond tracing out.
[00:50:04] Listen, we don't know everything that God does.
[00:50:07] And we may never know or understand.
[00:50:10] God is taking into account a lot more than you or I ever could.
[00:50:14] But for those of you who want an answer, I'll attempt one, right?
[00:50:18] So here are a few reasons why God may have hardened his heart.
[00:50:21] First of all, Pharaoh was not an innocent or godly man.
[00:50:27] He was a brutal dictator overseeing the terrible abuse and the oppression of the Israelites who likely at this point numbered one and a half million people.
[00:50:35] This wasn't a small crowd of people.
[00:50:37] The Egyptian Pharaohs had enslaved the Israelites for 400 years, nearly twice the
[00:50:44] The age of this country.
[00:50:45] The Pharaoh that God hardened was an evil man and the nation he ruled agreed with or at the very least did not oppose his evil actions.
[00:50:57] Here's a second thing you might note, as if the first wasn't enough.
[00:51:02] On at least a couple of occasions, Pharaoh hardened his own heart against letting the Israelites go, as you'll see later in Exodus 8.
[00:51:10] It seems that God and Pharaoh were both active in one way or another in the hardening of Pharaoh's heart.
[00:51:17] And finally, I want you to note this.
[00:51:19] That it could be that as a result of Pharaoh's hard-heartedness that God simply hardened Pharaoh's heart even further.
[00:51:27] I mean, here's a question.
[00:51:30] Do you think that Pharaoh would have ever allowed the Israelites to leave?
[00:51:36] Do you think that when Moses showed up and said, hey, I'm here to rescue God's people, the Israelites, do you think that Pharaoh would say, oh, okay, absolutely, of course, you take them and head on your way, best of luck?
[00:51:50] You think he would say that?
[00:51:52] No, of course not.
[00:51:53] They had been there for 400 years serving as slaves.
[00:51:56] All that free labor?
[00:51:57] Who do you think built the pyramids, right?
[00:51:59] He wasn't going to let those people just simply walk out of there and God knew that.
[00:52:05] You know, the bigger point
[00:52:07] is that Pharaoh was not willing to let the Israelites go so God told Moses exactly what to say in verse 22 and 23 then say to Pharaoh God said this is what the Lord says Israel is my firstborn son and I told you let my son so he let my son go so he may worship me but you refuse to let him go so I will kill your firstborn son
[00:52:37] God wasn't pulling any punches here, right?
[00:52:39] This is what he says to Moses that you were to say to Pharaoh.
[00:52:45] Now imagine having to share that message with one of the most powerful men in the world.
[00:52:50] Would you be willing to stand toe-to-toe with Pharaoh and say, I want you to let God's people go?
[00:52:56] That's what he says.
[00:52:58] And because you won't, then your son, your firstborn son, is going to die.
[00:53:05] How do you think that would have gone over with Pharaoh?
[00:53:08] Not too good, right?
[00:53:09] But yet there's no indication here at all that Moses wasn't more than willing to do exactly that.
[00:53:16] Now that shows me that Moses had supreme confidence.
[00:53:21] And I love that.
[00:53:22] I'm thinking, how can I get some of that, right?
[00:53:25] I want that level of confidence, the kind of confidence that would stand before the most powerful man in the world and say that.
[00:53:33] There's some insight about where that confidence comes from.
[00:53:36] And it's in Isaiah 32, 17.
[00:53:39] If you want a memory verse in addition to your Proverbs text, here's one.
[00:53:43] The fruit of that righteousness will be peace.
[00:53:47] Its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
[00:53:52] Now what is the fruit of righteousness?
[00:53:54] What does that mean?
[00:53:56] It's the work of God.
[00:53:57] It's obedience to His commands, to His will.
[00:54:01] So here's the truth.
[00:54:02] Write it down.
[00:54:03] The result of following God's will is peace and it is a calm confidence.
[00:54:11] You see that?
[00:54:12] Who doesn't want that?
[00:54:14] I'd like to have that.
[00:54:15] That's a smooth path, right?
[00:54:16] You think about how Jesus lived his life, how he acted in the Gospels.
[00:54:21] He always displayed a peace and a calm confidence, even in the face of constant opposition.
[00:54:28] This word confidence here could also be translated assurance.
[00:54:33] The great news for you and me is that when you're seeking, when you are following God's will in your life, you will experience that peace, that calm confidence and assurance too.
[00:54:44] Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about.
[00:54:47] Some of you have no idea what I'm talking about.
[00:54:49] Because right now your life is anything but peaceful.
[00:54:53] And you feel remarkably insecure.
[00:54:56] There is no calm confidence for you.
[00:54:59] But you'd love to have that.
[00:55:01] So where does it come from?
[00:55:03] It comes from the fruit of righteousness.
[00:55:05] Following God's will in every way.
[00:55:08] So Moses seemed to have that.
[00:55:11] with one exception.
[00:55:13] This brings us to the third observation.
[00:55:15] Moses had been disobedient in one area of his life and God wanted that cleaned up and immediately.
[00:55:24] You know, the reality is when you're fully surrendered to the Lord's will in your life, and many of you have said, I want to follow Jesus, and I really, I give my whole heart to Him in the same way that the author of Proverbs is telling me.
[00:55:37] I want to submit all of my ways to Him.
[00:55:39] Then God will begin to work in your life.
[00:55:42] He'll begin to dig deep in your life.
[00:55:44] He'll begin to purge you of any areas of neglect, any areas of disobedience, any areas of sin in your life.
[00:55:54] Now I want you to look at what happens in Moses' life.
[00:55:57] In verse 24, at a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses, and he was about to kill him.
[00:56:04] You see that?
[00:56:05] But Zipporah took a flint knife, she cut off her son's foreskin, and she touched Moses' feet with it.
[00:56:12] Surely you're a bridegroom of blood to me, she said.
[00:56:15] So the Lord let him alone.
[00:56:18] At that time, she said bridegroom of blood, she was referring to...
[00:56:23] circumcision so during one of those stops along the way Moses became deathly ill and it must have scared his family to death could you imagine I mean we're on this journey and and now it looks like dad my husband's gonna die yet Zipporah seemed to know what was wrong see Moses had been disobedient in one critical area of his life
[00:56:47] and it was regarding God's sacred covenant of circumcision he had chosen not to circumcise one of his sons and some say it was because his wife didn't want him circumcised so instead of obeying God Moses decided to obey her and to follow her will over God's will
[00:57:09] But God wasn't having it, you see.
[00:57:11] If Moses was going to be his spokesman, if he was going to lead his people, if he was going to follow his will, then this area of disobedience, this area of neglect, this area of sin had to be cleaned up.
[00:57:23] Here's the truth.
[00:57:24] You ready for this?
[00:57:26] God doesn't want anything between you and Him.
[00:57:30] nothing where sin is present in your life the relationship will be soiled the disobedience the sin has to go and no sin is hidden from God not one and some of you know exactly what I'm talking about because there's a secret sin in your life right now that you're hiding from those that you love yet ironically the one who loves you most knows all about it
[00:57:56] He knows everything about it.
[00:57:58] And He says, I want it gone.
[00:57:59] And I want it gone now.
[00:58:02] And He may have brought some of you to this place today to simply tell you that.
[00:58:08] That sin, that area of neglect, that disobedience is keeping you from fully following Him and His will in your life.
[00:58:14] It's got to go.
[00:58:15] It's making your path very bumpy.
[00:58:17] It's making it very turbulent and He doesn't want that for you.
[00:58:21] He wants it to be smooth and even and straight.
[00:58:25] You see, God wasn't having it with Moses and He won't have it with you either.
[00:58:29] He wants it cleaned up.
[00:58:31] And you can take care of that this morning before you leave this place.
[00:58:35] And I hope that you will.
[00:58:37] So after Moses resolved this area of disobedience in his life, he was back on track.
[00:58:42] But unfortunately for him, his family seemed to leave him to go back to Midian.
[00:58:48] So Zipporah and the two boys went back to Midian to stay with Jethro.
[00:58:53] You may say, well, how do you know that, Pastor?
[00:58:55] Because later they show up again, they come back to him, and they come with Jethro.
[00:58:59] So I think...
[00:59:00] that at this point they go back and probably to let this this grandson heal from this procedure right because it was pretty brutal but I want you to watch even after Moses is left alone now on this journey how God continues to smooth this path here's the fourth observation Moses was lonely yet God knew exactly what he needed
[00:59:25] The Lord said to Aaron, go into the wilderness to meet Moses.
[00:59:30] So he met Moses at the mountain of God and he kissed him.
[00:59:34] And then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say.
[00:59:38] And also about the signs that he had commanded him to perform.
[00:59:42] You know, I look at that and I think, isn't God amazing?
[00:59:45] That he knew what Moses needed.
[00:59:47] That he knew what he would need and he took care of it.
[00:59:50] You know look there's no doubt that Moses would be feeling really lonely at this point with his family now gone yet God already had a plan to fill Moses need to answer at loneliness so he sends his brother the Lord told Aaron look I want you to go and meet your brother on that desert road he he's been through a really tough season and he needs a soul brother and he needs him right now isn't it amazing that with all that God has to deal with in this world
[01:00:21] That He cares about your needs.
[01:00:23] That He cares about mine.
[01:00:25] Many of you know I've shared it a number of times.
[01:00:28] It was a monumental moment in my life.
[01:00:30] I lost my brother in a tragic car wreck in 2011.
[01:00:34] And Jeff and I were really close.
[01:00:37] He was the only brother I had.
[01:00:39] We were 17 months apart.
[01:00:40] I was the older brother.
[01:00:42] And he was always there for me.
[01:00:44] And even a part of this church and an integral part of this church, he didn't serve any vital teaching or leadership roles, but he served at that production table, not this one, but in a school.
[01:00:54] And he took care of the things we needed him to take care of there.
[01:00:58] He was not only a good servant in the church, but he was a great friend to me and a wonderful brother.
[01:01:05] And the Lord knew that losing him created a lot of need in my life and a lot of loneliness for me.
[01:01:14] Just weeks after I lost my brother,
[01:01:17] A really good friend of mine gave me a call and we were chatting.
[01:01:20] This was the same friend who inspired me to start this church during a message he delivered.
[01:01:28] And we were chatting because he had been away on mission for a year in Africa.
[01:01:33] He had left the church he was serving in Huntersville and he went away with his family to Africa for a year and he and I were talking about what his next steps would be in ministry and I just threw out a fleece.
[01:01:45] I said,
[01:01:47] Would you consider coming to serve with me at Watermark?
[01:01:51] I knew it was crazy because how would Will, why would he even consider coming here to serve part-time with me?
[01:01:58] He had been a lead pastor himself.
[01:02:00] He was going to speak maybe once a month here.
[01:02:03] Why would he ever consider doing anything like that?
[01:02:06] But I remember saying to him, Will, I could really use you during this season.
[01:02:12] I really need a soul brother.
[01:02:15] You know what he said?
[01:02:17] He said, I'll be there.
[01:02:19] He said, I'll serve with you.
[01:02:21] And he came and he served he and his family for a couple of years here.
[01:02:25] And he worked bivocationally because we couldn't pay him anything.
[01:02:29] But he served right here with me for a couple of years until the Lord called him away to be lead pastor again.
[01:02:36] And I just look back at that and I think the Lord knew exactly what I needed at exactly the right time and He provided for me as only He could and in a miraculous way, right?
[01:02:48] I mean, that's what God does, you see.
[01:02:51] You see, sometimes and in fact a lot of times you and I, we need soul brothers.
[01:02:56] We need soul sisters in life.
[01:02:59] And the church is an opportunity for us to build those relationships, to create those relationships with one another.
[01:03:05] And some of you are sitting in this place or watching this right now and you say, I don't have a soul brother.
[01:03:11] I don't have a soul sister.
[01:03:12] I don't have anyone that I can really do life with.
[01:03:14] No one who really loves me that I can love, who will give to me that I can give to or serve or be served by.
[01:03:21] But I want one.
[01:03:22] You see, at Watermark, we value those relationships.
[01:03:25] In fact, we have three life groups for men.
[01:03:28] We have three life groups for women alone.
[01:03:30] We have co-ed groups where you can build those kinds of relationships.
[01:03:35] And if you're in this place today and you say, I need that, then
[01:03:40] Get involved with a group, because over those years, the Lord has given me so many more soul brothers.
[01:03:46] And many of you know exactly what I'm talking about.
[01:03:49] And you, women in this room, have many soul sisters too.
[01:03:54] If you don't have one, speak to me.
[01:03:56] We'll talk more about life groups.
[01:03:57] Or you can see my wife, Lori, who heads up our life group ministry.
[01:04:01] So after Moses shared all these amazing details with Aaron about what God was up to and he told them the plans that God had for his people, they went off to Egypt.
[01:04:10] They wasted no time getting started because it was time to rescue some people who had waited a long time.
[01:04:17] And in verse 29, And following, Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses.
[01:04:25] He also performed the signs before the people, and they believed.
[01:04:29] And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them, had seen their misery, they bowed down, and they worshipped Him.
[01:04:38] Can you imagine this moment and how powerful it was?
[01:04:41] All these elders coming together to hear this amazing story, to see these miraculous signs, and they believed.
[01:04:49] And to now know that the Lord deeply cared about them, that He was concerned about them, that He had seen their hardship, that He had seen their misery.
[01:05:01] So what was their response?
[01:05:03] They worshipped Him.
[01:05:05] They bowed down before Him.
[01:05:08] Look, the truth is, God is deeply concerned about you too.
[01:05:13] That He sees your hardship.
[01:05:15] That He knows your misery.
[01:05:17] That He knows your pain.
[01:05:18] He also knows your joys.
[01:05:20] He knows your celebrations.
[01:05:22] He cares for you.
[01:05:23] He loves you.
[01:05:25] And He wants a relationship with you.
[01:05:27] The God of the universe wants to draw near to you.
[01:05:31] He wants to make your path straight, even, and smooth.
[01:05:37] So what's your response to Him?
[01:05:40] You see, there is but one response that He is due from you and me.
[01:05:46] And that is to worship Him.
[01:05:48] To worship the God who wants to make straight our paths.
[01:05:52] To make smooth our paths.
[01:05:55] So will you trust Him?
[01:05:57] Will you trust Him with all your heart?
[01:05:59] Not just with some or a little or whatever you're willing to give up, but with all of it, with everything.
[01:06:05] Will you lay it all before Him?
[01:06:07] Will you lean into His way of thinking and His desires and His will for your life?
[01:06:12] Will you submit your ways to Him and not just some of your ways, but all your ways to Him?
[01:06:20] Is there any area of sin?
[01:06:22] Is there any area of disobedience in your life right now?
[01:06:26] That God says to you, I want this cleaned up.
[01:06:30] I want it cleaned up now.
[01:06:32] We can take care of that today.
[01:06:34] I want to invite you to stand on your feet.
[01:06:36] I want to pray for you.
[01:06:39] Our Father, I thank You so much for Your Word, for the power of Your Word, for Your work in Moses' life, for Your work in our lives.
[01:06:48] And God, we thank you that you care about us and deeply for us, that you love us, that you want us to have a smooth path in life.
[01:06:55] And God, sometimes we just mess it up.
[01:06:57] It gets so bumpy, so turbulent.
[01:07:00] And God, we know why.
[01:07:03] So today we commit to give you all of our hearts.
[01:07:08] God, to submit everything to you.
[01:07:11] God, to trust you in every way and every day.
[01:07:14] And God, where sin is present in our lives, God, we pray that you would forgive us of that sin.
[01:07:20] And God, in this moment, we turn from that sin.
[01:07:23] And we ask that you would empower us to stay far from that sin.
[01:07:28] God, I thank you for the healing that's taking place right now in the hearts of people in this room.
[01:07:34] God, if there is one here today or even watching today who would say to you, God, I know that I'm a sinner in need of a Savior.
[01:07:43] And I know that Jesus died on Calvary's cross to save me.
[01:07:48] His blood was shed for me there.
[01:07:50] And so I want to invite Him to be my Savior right now.
[01:07:55] I want to repent of my sins.
[01:07:56] I want to trust Him by faith to save me.
[01:08:01] God, I thank you for saving me.
[01:08:02] I don't know everything that means, but I know you'll teach me.
[01:08:06] I love you.
[01:08:08] God, every person in this room or watching today says to you, we want to give it all to you and right now because you deserve it.
[01:08:17] We give it all in Jesus name.

[01:08:26] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[01:08:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
You are my first love You are my first love In Your presence I can tell The fallen at Your feet Savior Beautiful Savior
[01:09:26] The sacrifice so I could be set free The temple I have is all yours anyway I know it's not much but God it's my everything I pour my oil on you I pour my oil on you
[01:10:02] You are my first love I don't care who's in this room My eyes are fixed on You Take all I have It's all Yours anyway I know it's not much God is my everything
[01:10:36] Jesus you're worthy of every last drop here is my offering I pour my oil on you I pour my oil on you
[01:11:17] I don't care who's in this room No I don't care who's in this room
[01:11:37] I don't care who's in this room My eyes are fixed on you I don't care who's in this room My eyes are fixed on you I don't care who's in this room My eyes are fixed on you

[01:12:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
I don't care who's in this room Cause my eyes are fixed on you Take all I have, it's all yours anyway I know it's not much, but God is my everything I pour my oil on you

[01:12:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I pour my oil on you Doesn't matter the cost Jesus you're worthy of every last drop Here is my offering I pour my oil on you I pour my
[01:13:06] You can have it, Jesus Every last drop, every last drop, every last drop At the feet of Jesus Every last drop, every last drop
[01:13:30] Every life strong at the feet of Jesus
[01:14:22] At the feet of Jesus
[01:14:34] So take all I have It's all yours anyway I know it's not much But God it's my everything I pour my oil on you I pour my oil on you Doesn't matter the cost Jesus you're worthy of every last drop Here is my
[01:15:09] I pour my life for you.

[01:15:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Amen.
[01:15:21] Amen.
[01:15:21] Are you willing to do that today?
[01:15:25] To say, I'm going to give you everything, God.
[01:15:27] I'm going to trust in you with all of my heart.
[01:15:30] I'm going to lean not on my own understanding.
[01:15:33] I'm going to submit all of my ways to you.
[01:15:35] Are you willing to say that today?
[01:15:38] Some people aren't.
[01:15:39] My hope is, my prayer for you is that you will, because when you do, God says, I will make your paths straight and even, smooth in life.
[01:15:50] That's what He wants to do for you.
[01:15:53] I hope you'll lean into that today.
[01:15:55] If you're here today and you've said yes to Jesus for the very first time, if you invited Him to be Savior and Lord of your life, I want to welcome you to God's family today.
[01:16:06] Amen.
[01:16:09] And I want to ask you before you leave this place to share that with someone.
[01:16:13] You can share with a renewed ministry shepherd.
[01:16:15] They'll be in the bridge with gold lanyards on.
[01:16:18] You can share with me.
[01:16:19] I'd love to hear that from you today.
[01:16:21] If you have a prayer need, I want you to know our ministry shepherds are here to pray for you and encourage you.
[01:16:27] And again, you can see me or reach out to me during the week.
[01:16:29] I'd love to hear from you.
[01:16:32] My hope is.
[01:16:33] that you'll leave this place today encouraged, inspired today to change, to be the man, to be the woman that God has called you to be.

[01:16:45] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Empower you.

[01:16:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Let's pray.
[01:16:46] Father, we love you.
[01:16:48] We thank you again for the opportunity you give us to come into your place.
[01:16:52] God, to be able to be together in this way, to worship you, there's something amazing and inspiring that comes when we gather together corporately to worship you.
[01:17:03] And God, I pray that everything about our lives would be worship.
[01:17:07] That we would seek you in all our ways.
[01:17:10] God, that we would trust you in every way.
[01:17:14] We would lean on your understanding, not our own, on your will, not ours, God.
[01:17:19] So you continue to guide us as only you can.
[01:17:22] And we pray that you'll do it in the powerful, in the redemptive, in the holy name of Jesus.
[01:17:27] And all God's children said, Amen!
[01:17:30] Blessings!