Full Transcript for Lessons Learned From Our Journey With God

of Israel and that he had 32 00:02:47,472 --> 00:02:50,554 sent their affliction, they bowed their heads and they worshiped. 33 00:02:50,943 --> 00:02:58,530 The Israelites were going to be set free. God will deliver them because he promised. 34 00:02:59,426 --> 00:03:03,176 Now, this is the beginning of this process. 35 00:03:03,786 --> 00:03:09,005 It's going to take a little while before they actually reach the promised land. 36 00:03:09,283 --> 00:03:17,152 It's going to take a little time before they are actually released from bondage from the Egyptians. 37 00:03:18,444 --> 00:03:22,577 But God has come and promised to free them. 38 00:03:23,191 --> 00:03:29,909 Now there is hope, and hope changes how people live. 39 00:03:30,803 --> 00:03:35,074 How many of you are Brewers fans? Okay, there's a few. 40 00:03:35,926 --> 00:03:43,400 So about a month ago, you probably we're catching a little glimmer of hope, right? 41 00:03:44,135 --> 00:03:50,042 Maybe you started going out and buying some brewers apparel and maybe you scheduled 42 00:03:50,042 --> 00:03:52,930 watch nights at your home so you could watch the games. 43 00:03:53,180 --> 00:03:59,903 Or maybe you bought tickets and went to the playoff games. Maybe not. 44 00:04:00,917 --> 00:04:08,436 But hope changes the way we live. Now, just to let you know, I'm a Cubs fan. 45 00:04:09,502 --> 00:04:11,342 And I'm filled with hope. 46 00:04:13,939 --> 00:04:17,833 The Israelites are going to be freed from bondage and hard labor, 47 00:04:17,833 --> 00:04:26,743 and they begin this historic journey from slavery to freedom to a land flowing with milk and honey. 48 00:04:26,743 --> 00:04:29,113 And their journey is quite interesting. 49 00:04:29,483 --> 00:04:33,923 Along the way, they encounter God in different ways, and. 50 00:04:36,178 --> 00:04:41,463 They learn. Now, every time I say they, and I'm talking about the Israelites, 51 00:04:41,463 --> 00:04:45,173 it's things that I hope we can learn also. 52 00:04:45,173 --> 00:04:53,970 So when I say they or them, just consider maybe this is something me or I should learn. 53 00:04:54,741 --> 00:04:59,263 Let me make an observation about the wilderness first before we get into the wilderness. 54 00:05:00,362 --> 00:05:09,156 The wilderness is a place of testing or transformation or preparation. 55 00:05:09,797 --> 00:05:15,399 Testing or transformation or preparation or all three. 56 00:05:15,910 --> 00:05:22,691 We see this in the lives of Abraham, in the life of Moses, Elijah, 57 00:05:23,016 --> 00:05:27,491 Hagar, John the Baptist, Jesus himself. 58 00:05:27,810 --> 00:05:36,951 The wilderness was a place that God took them to prepare them, to teach them. 59 00:05:37,595 --> 00:05:40,939 And God is going to do the same for his people here. 60 00:05:41,688 --> 00:05:48,157 So when Israel was brought out of Egypt, let me just read this to you from 1317. 61 00:05:48,157 --> 00:05:53,007 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them

by the way of the land 62 00:05:53,007 --> 00:05:56,287 of the Philistines, although that was near. 63 00:05:56,287 --> 00:06:04,547 In other words, it would have been shorter to go from Egypt to the promised 64 00:06:04,547 --> 00:06:08,328 land through the land of the Philistines, 65 00:06:09,024 --> 00:06:14,307 but God led them a different way through the wilderness because he said, 66 00:06:14,307 --> 00:06:19,605 lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. 67 00:06:20,408 --> 00:06:26,834 So God was going to lead his people into a wilderness where he could prepare, 68 00:06:27,577 --> 00:06:31,194 and transform and test them. 69 00:06:32,032 --> 00:06:37,057 God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. 70 00:06:37,057 --> 00:06:42,809 Now we, we have to learn to trust that God will meet all our needs. 71 00:06:43,383 --> 00:06:45,316 We have to learn return. 72 00:06:46,374 --> 00:06:52,411 Trust that God is going to provide for everything that we need. 73 00:06:53,427 --> 00:07:00,695 They, the Israelites, may have felt abandoned for all these centuries that they were in bondage. 74 00:07:01,101 --> 00:07:07,098 And so now God is going to lead his people into the wilderness where he can, 75 00:07:07,785 --> 00:07:14,063 teach them to trust face to face. 76 00:07:15,108 --> 00:07:16,333 This is the first lesson. 77 00:07:18,089 --> 00:07:25,659 Be ready. Be prepared. Now, when you go on a trip, you want to prepare, right? 78 00:07:26,298 --> 00:07:30,686 What do you pack for the trip? Let's say you're going on a vacation. What do you pack? 79 00:07:31,145 --> 00:07:34,585 Adults, you get into the car, you want to make sure you have your phone and 80 00:07:34,585 --> 00:07:43,238 your charger, maybe an e-book, maybe a regular paper book, earplugs, maybe. 81 00:07:43,772 --> 00:07:48,790 If you have children, maybe a wooden spoon. Wait, parents still take wooden spoons? 82 00:07:49,617 --> 00:07:57,115 If you're a child, you're going to have headphones, maybe, Maybe Game Boy, 83 00:07:57,115 --> 00:08:04,025 Nintendo Switch, toys, coloring books, snacks, charger, phone maybe, water bottle. 84 00:08:04,344 --> 00:08:08,745 And then you have to decide what things do I want right next to me when we travel 85 00:08:08,745 --> 00:08:11,802 and what things can go in the trunk or in the way back. 86 00:08:12,265 --> 00:08:14,245 I want the snacks right here. 87 00:08:14,933 --> 00:08:20,628 Clothes and blankets can be back there. You get prepared. You ready yourself. 88 00:08:21,325 --> 00:08:29,995 From the time that God called Moses to free his people, and he gave Moses words 89 00:08:29,995 --> 00:08:32,917 to speak through Aaron to Aaron. 90 00:08:33,953 --> 00:08:42,137 The Pharaoh, the people were on this rollercoaster ride of Pharaoh saying, okay, you can leave. 91 00:08:42,137 --> 00:08:46,207 No, wait, you can't. Okay, now you can leave. No, wait, you can't. 92 00:08:46,207 --> 00:08:49,451 Okay, now you can leave. No, wait, you can't. 93 00:08:49,846 --> 00:08:54,589 You're going to be enslaved. And they're on this rollercoaster ride of emotions. 94 00:08:54,972 --> 00:09:00,287 And with each plague that God throws at the Egyptians, the blood and the frogs 95 00:09:00,287 --> 00:09:05,337 and the flies and the hail and the locusts, Pharaoh gets closer and closer to 96 00:09:05,337 --> 00:09:07,657 releasing the Israelites. 97 00:09:07,657 --> 00:09:13,797 Finally, the very worst plague comes, and that is the life of the firstborn son. 98 00:09:15,095 --> 00:09:21,656 And every family and animal is in danger of death. 99 00:09:23,514 --> 00:09:29,957 But the Israelites listened to what God had told them so they would not be in 100 00:09:29,957 --> 00:09:35,385 danger. They were preparing correctly for what was going to happen. 101 00:09:36,053 --> 00:09:40,617 They killed the Passover lamb. They sprinkled blood on their door. 102 00:09:40,617 --> 00:09:44,877 They ate quickly. They didn't save anything till the next day. 103 00:09:44,877 --> 00:09:49,857 They followed God's instructions and they were ready so that when it was time 104 00:09:49,857 --> 00:09:52,946 to leave, they could pick up their things and go. 105 00:09:53,305 --> 00:09:54,948 They were prepared. 106 00:09:55,777 --> 00:09:59,010 God's words are life. 107 00:09:59,982 --> 00:10:04,197 His preparations are vital to follow. 108 00:10:05,464 --> 00:10:11,467 So at midnight, Exodus chapter 12, verse 29, at midnight, the Lord killed all 109 00:10:11,467 --> 00:10:15,067 the firstborn in the land of Egypt from the firstborn of Pharaoh, 110 00:10:15,067 --> 00:10:19,552 who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the captive who was in his dungeon, 111 00:10:20,144 --> 00:10:22,449 and all the firstborn of the cattle. 112 00:10:23,097 --> 00:10:27,035 And Pharaoh rose up in the night. Oh, this is interesting. 113 00:10:27,447 --> 00:10:32,287 Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, 114 00:10:32,287 --> 00:10:35,014 and there was a great cry in Egypt. 115 00:10:35,935 --> 00:10:38,599 They weren't ready. They hadn't prepared. 116 00:10:39,626 --> 00:10:43,578 There was not a house where there was not one dead. 117 00:10:44,889 --> 00:10:50,710 And so Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, Rise up and go, 118 00:10:51,389 --> 00:10:55,110 both you and the people of Israel, and go and serve the Lord as you have said. 119 00:10:55,389 --> 00:10:59,952 Take your flocks and your herds as you have said, and be gone and listen to this. 120 00:11:00,213 --> 00:11:04,723 And then he says, and bless me also. 121 00:11:06,058 --> 00:11:10,371 Have you ever read that in there? Pharaoh says to Moses and Aaron, 122 00:11:10,945 --> 00:11:19,293 go and bless me also. Is Pharaoh starting to understand maybe God is real? 123 00:11:20,025 --> 00:11:22,741 That maybe he was wrong? 124 00:11:23,586 --> 00:11:27,040 It doesn't

last long. He recognizes God. 125 00:11:27,896 --> 00:11:29,138 It doesn't last long. 126 00:11:30,101 --> 00:11:35,947 God's words are life, and God's people were ready. 127 00:11:36,552 --> 00:11:43,318 What does Jesus have to say about being ready? Let me read you this from Luke chapter 12, verse 36. 128 00:11:43,318 --> 00:11:46,868 And be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage 129 00:11:46,868 --> 00:11:51,801 feast so that they may open to him at once when he comes in and knocks. 130 00:11:52,213 --> 00:11:57,426 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. 131 00:11:57,716 --> 00:12:03,358 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake, awake, 132 00:12:03,358 --> 00:12:05,918 prepared, when he comes. 133 00:12:05,918 --> 00:12:12,608 Truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at the table, 134 00:12:12,968 --> 00:12:16,638 and he will come and serve them. Hmm. 135 00:12:17,786 --> 00:12:25,278 What does it mean to be ready? To follow God's instructions? To be obedient? 136 00:12:26,469 --> 00:12:37,065 Don't let a day pass by when you let down your guard, but be prepared at every moment. 137 00:12:38,217 --> 00:12:44,225 Be ready, be prepared when it's time. That's the first lesson. Here's another lesson. 138 00:12:45,117 --> 00:12:52,802 Take the necessary resources. You're going to go on a trip. You need to have something with you. 139 00:12:54,283 --> 00:13:02,175 Normally. I, the very first time I drove to Alaska, I drove there a couple times. 140 00:13:03,059 --> 00:13:06,434 I got to the Canadian border after driving all night long. 141 00:13:06,434 --> 00:13:10,584 It was about midnight. I get to the Canadian border, and this was 40 years ago, 142 00:13:10,584 --> 00:13:14,626 so it was way before many of you were born, but it was before, 143 00:13:15,056 --> 00:13:18,649 you know, border security was so strong. 144 00:13:19,166 --> 00:13:21,434 I get to the border, and then they asked me why I was going, 145 00:13:21,434 --> 00:13:25,354 and I said, I'm going to Alaska. I'm going to Fairbanks. I have a job up there 146 00:13:25,354 --> 00:13:26,870 waiting for me. Excuse me. 147 00:13:27,594 --> 00:13:34,223 So I need to get going, and I need to be there, and it's a long drive. 148 00:13:34,889 --> 00:13:39,194 And they said well we're not sure you could make it they had me get out of my 149 00:13:39,194 --> 00:13:41,085 vehicle go into their office, 150 00:13:41,807 --> 00:13:46,950 and I'm assuming they were searching my car while I was in their office and, 151 00:13:47,507 --> 00:13:54,104 the border guard said to me show me how much money you have I emptied all my 152 00:13:54,104 --> 00:13:56,574 pockets I had a credit card. 153 00:13:58,334 --> 00:14:02,374 My dad gave me his credit card so I could pay for gas all along the way but 154 00:14:02,374 --> 00:14:09,274 you know Gas stations between the Canadian border and the Alaskan border may 155 00:14:09,574 --> 00:14:11,705 or may not even be open anymore. 156 00:14:12,318 --> 00:14:17,044 I mean, I had a book that was published that year that said which ones were 157 00:14:17,044 --> 00:14:23,182 open, but who knows when they open and close. And so the border guard, and I had $200. 158 00:14:23,763 --> 00:14:28,691 She said, you don't have enough money to make it. You can't come in. Yeah. 159 00:14:31,085 --> 00:14:36,655 So I went back, not all the way home. I went back to the last city that I was at. 160 00:14:37,276 --> 00:14:44,080 I had my mom wire me some more money because they told me I would need at least $200 more. 161 00:14:44,220 --> 00:14:46,339 So I had $200 more wired to me. 162 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:51,584 Then they let me in. By the way, I didn't need that extra $200. 163 00:14:52,089 --> 00:14:59,187 And I made it there fine. And my car was thoroughly searched again when I got to the Alaskan border. 164 00:15:00,211 --> 00:15:05,486 When God was giving Moses instructions, he said, 165 00:15:06,442 --> 00:15:12,521 When you go, you will not go empty, but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, 166 00:15:12,979 --> 00:15:20,369 and of the one who lives in her house of jewelry, of silver and gold and clothing. 167 00:15:21,316 --> 00:15:28,820 Before they left, when it was time to go, the Passover angel had gone by and 168 00:15:28,820 --> 00:15:31,100 people had been killed and, 169 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:37,220 the Pharaoh calls Moses and says, you can leave, go. 170 00:15:37,801 --> 00:15:43,130 God had all the Israelite women go to their neighbors and collect from them 171 00:15:43,130 --> 00:15:45,492 gold and silver and clothing. 172 00:15:45,992 --> 00:15:51,141 They didn't know what they would need it for, but they would definitely use it later on. 173 00:15:52,217 --> 00:15:56,887 What were they going to do with all that gold? They could use it for good. 174 00:15:56,887 --> 00:16:04,582 They could use it for what God had purposed it for, or they could use it for not so good. 175 00:16:04,744 --> 00:16:10,887 In other words, there was one time that I can recall where they used it for a bad purpose. 176 00:16:10,887 --> 00:16:14,067 And that was when Moses went up on the mountain. 177 00:16:14,067 --> 00:16:18,647 Do you remember that? And all the people were afraid because they could see 178 00:16:18,647 --> 00:16:21,957 all the lightning going on at the top of the mountain. 179 00:16:21,957 --> 00:16:25,757 And he was up there for a long time and they didn't know what was going on. 180 00:16:25,757 --> 00:16:30,298 And they said, Aaron, we need to serve God. 181 00:16:30,962 --> 00:16:36,717 And he said, bring me your gold. And he crafted a gold calf. 182 00:16:37,565 --> 00:16:43,748 It wasn't exactly the way God wanted them to use what he had provided for them. 183 00:16:44,818 --> 00:16:53,917 But they did use the gold and the silver and that cloth to create a tabernacle. 184 00:16:53,917 --> 00:16:57,959

And God gave them very specific instructions on how to use the gold, 185 00:16:58,220 --> 00:17:03,167 how to use the silver, how to use the cloth, how to make this tabernacle where 186 00:17:03,167 --> 00:17:05,221 they could all worship God. 187 00:17:06,369 --> 00:17:10,719 When you go on a journey, and we're on this journey of faith, 188 00:17:10,719 --> 00:17:15,549 make sure you have the resources you need. Hmm. 189 00:17:16,681 --> 00:17:18,979 Jesus said, when I sent you out 190 00:17:18,979 --> 00:17:23,705 with no money bag and no knapsack and no sandals, did you lack anything? 191 00:17:24,123 --> 00:17:28,079 And they said nothing. And he said to them, but now the one who has a money 192 00:17:28,079 --> 00:17:32,946 bag, take it in the knapsack likewise. And if you don't have a sword, 193 00:17:33,248 --> 00:17:36,789 sell what you have and go and buy one. Times are different now. 194 00:17:37,508 --> 00:17:41,939 This is when Jesus was getting ready to leave. He was preparing his disciples 195 00:17:41,939 --> 00:17:44,879 for the way the world was turning now. 196 00:17:45,715 --> 00:17:49,959 So what do you need? What do you need? I mean, Peter thought he was ready, 197 00:17:49,959 --> 00:17:53,069 but God knew better. What do you need? 198 00:17:54,111 --> 00:18:01,561 And will you trust that God will provide to meet your needs? 199 00:18:02,425 --> 00:18:07,399 I mean, I think he proved that along this journey. God met the needs of the 200 00:18:07,399 --> 00:18:09,920 Israelites over and over and over again. 201 00:18:12,566 --> 00:18:17,918 God provides. Take the right resources. God provides. Let me give you one more lesson. 202 00:18:19,301 --> 00:18:26,197 Follow directions. You ever hear that? Just do what I ask you to do. You ever hear that? 203 00:18:26,924 --> 00:18:30,561 There was, when I was working at Sky Lodge Christian Camp, there was a group 204 00:18:30,561 --> 00:18:34,061 of women from inner city Milwaukee who came to the camp. 205 00:18:34,061 --> 00:18:37,501 And one of the things that I was going to do is, if you're familiar with the 206 00:18:37,501 --> 00:18:43,401 camp at all, I was going to meet with them and take them across the road to where it's more, 207 00:18:43,901 --> 00:18:49,089 rugged, more woodsy, and we were going to do some team building exercises. 208 00:18:49,978 --> 00:18:56,481 So these 20 women gathered with me around the lodge and they were all ready. 209 00:18:56,481 --> 00:19:01,871 They had long sleeves on, they wore their hats, they had water bottles and backpacks 210 00:19:01,871 --> 00:19:04,618 because they knew we were going to be gone for a couple hours. 211 00:19:05,221 --> 00:19:10,951 And the first thing I said to them as we gathered is, now we're going to the wilderness. 212 00:19:11,745 --> 00:19:13,452 And they were all kind of a little panicky. 213 00:19:14,409 --> 00:19:18,281 Does anyone have a compass so we can make sure we get our way back? 214 00:19:18,675 --> 00:19:23,296 And three women right away held up their cell phones with their GPS on it, ready to go. 215 00:19:25,532 --> 00:19:33,452 And I chuckled because if you've been to Sky Lodge, you know it's not likely you will get lost. 216 00:19:34,284 --> 00:19:39,761 So we started on our journey. And even then, I overheard a couple women talking 217 00:19:39,761 --> 00:19:43,429 Saying, are you sure he's going to get us back here okay? 218 00:19:44,809 --> 00:19:51,211 But of course, we did. When Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea, 219 00:19:51,693 --> 00:19:57,138 and they went into the wilderness, they went three days into the wilderness and found no water. 220 00:19:57,732 --> 00:20:01,453 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water because it was bitter. 221 00:20:01,877 --> 00:20:06,209 That is why it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses saying, 222 00:20:06,209 --> 00:20:09,619 what shall we drink? And he cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a 223 00:20:09,619 --> 00:20:13,644 piece of wood and he threw it into the water and the water became sweet. 224 00:20:14,797 --> 00:20:23,709 There the Lord made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he put them to the test. 225 00:20:23,709 --> 00:20:30,057 Listen, he said, if you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, 226 00:20:30,805 --> 00:20:38,955 and do what is right in his sight and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, 227 00:20:39,490 --> 00:20:44,679 I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians. 228 00:20:44,679 --> 00:20:47,513 For I am the Lord who heals you. 229 00:20:48,326 --> 00:20:54,055 God saying, just follow what I ask you to do. 230 00:20:54,997 --> 00:21:00,919 They could probably still hear in their ears the cries of all those families 231 00:21:00,919 --> 00:21:03,217 who had lost their firstborn. 232 00:21:04,012 --> 00:21:09,724 It is still fresh in their minds what God had done before they were freed from bondage. 233 00:21:10,446 --> 00:21:14,196 And so they were probably inclined to obey. 234 00:21:15,246 --> 00:21:18,880 God told them there would be manna for them along their journey. 235 00:21:19,199 --> 00:21:25,435 And this is what he said, gather of it, every man of you, as much as he can eat. 236 00:21:26,186 --> 00:21:33,024 You shall take a certain amount, every person, according to the number of people in your tent. 237 00:21:33,896 --> 00:21:40,078 And the people did so. They gathered some more, some less, because some people eat more than others. 238 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:46,226 Gather as much as you can eat. But when they measured it, nobody had anything 239 00:21:46,226 --> 00:21:49,552 left over and nobody had any lack. 240 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:54,235 Each gathered according to what he could eat. And Moses said to them, 241 00:21:54,565 --> 00:21:59,116 let no one leave any of it till morning. It's a simple instruction,

right? 242 00:21:59,971 --> 00:22:03,306 But they did not listen to Moses. 243 00:22:04,821 --> 00:22:10,266 And you can imagine maybe being out in the wilderness, you have finally food 244 00:22:10,266 --> 00:22:13,121 given to you every day and thinking, 245 00:22:13,745 --> 00:22:17,986 I'm just going to eat what I can eat now. And I'm going to trust. 246 00:22:19,115 --> 00:22:24,485 This is why they're out in the wilderness. God wants to teach them to trust in him again. 247 00:22:24,728 --> 00:22:31,207 They have to trust that every day, every day God is going to provide for them what they need. 248 00:22:32,255 --> 00:22:36,216 So you can imagine why somebody would say, you know, I'm just going to put some 249 00:22:36,216 --> 00:22:39,639 of this in the back of the tent, just in case. 250 00:22:40,812 --> 00:22:47,698 Some did, leave it till morning, and it bred worms and became foul, 251 00:22:47,942 --> 00:22:50,427 and Moses was angry with them. 252 00:22:51,059 --> 00:22:54,113 God wants them to learn to trust. 253 00:22:54,886 --> 00:23:00,212 And what does Jesus say about this? He said, when he was setting on a journey, 254 00:23:00,212 --> 00:23:04,242 a man ran up to him and knelt before him and asked him, good teacher, 255 00:23:04,242 --> 00:23:07,167 what must I do to inherit eternal life. 256 00:23:07,798 --> 00:23:11,408 And Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 257 00:23:12,018 --> 00:23:15,732 And then he said, you know the commandments. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. 258 00:23:15,732 --> 00:23:18,223 Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. 259 00:23:18,554 --> 00:23:21,352 Do not defraud. Honor your father and mother. And he said to him, 260 00:23:21,352 --> 00:23:24,379 teacher, all these I have kept from my youth. 261 00:23:25,172 --> 00:23:32,520 And Jesus looked at him and loved him and said to him, one thing you lack. 262 00:23:33,809 --> 00:23:41,241 Go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven. 263 00:23:42,086 --> 00:23:49,225 And come, follow me. Disheartened, disheartened by this saying, 264 00:23:50,195 --> 00:23:54,228 he went away, for he had great possessions. 265 00:23:54,559 --> 00:24:03,597 I'm guessing that caused Jesus great sorrow to watch this one whom Jesus loved, 266 00:24:04,288 --> 00:24:11,409 turn his back on him and just walk away because he had a lot of things here 267 00:24:11,409 --> 00:24:13,645 on this earth that he didn't want to give up. 268 00:24:13,953 --> 00:24:24,594 He was willing to sacrifice the treasures in heaven for the things that he had here on earth. 269 00:24:25,145 --> 00:24:29,319 I mean, we look at that and think, what was he thinking? And then we look at 270 00:24:29,319 --> 00:24:34,149 our own lives and wonder, is there anything like that in my life? 271 00:24:35,224 --> 00:24:39,689 Follow directions. Follow directions. 272 00:24:40,851 --> 00:24:46,510 Hmm. One more, one more lesson. Let the journey be educational. 273 00:24:46,974 --> 00:24:53,383 Now, for all of you who are teachers or parents or people who have trained other people or, 274 00:24:54,457 --> 00:25:00,599 when we talk about education, you want people to learn and you also want them 275 00:25:00,599 --> 00:25:02,741 to be able to recall, right? 276 00:25:03,083 --> 00:25:07,379 You don't want them to just put things down on a test because they learned it 277 00:25:07,379 --> 00:25:09,949 and then completely forget about it the rest of their lives. 278 00:25:09,949 --> 00:25:15,488 You want them to be able to learn it and apply it and recall it over and over again. 279 00:25:16,732 --> 00:25:21,708 God tells the Israelites, there will come a time when you remember this journey. 280 00:25:22,498 --> 00:25:29,522 One week every year is set aside for you to observe this quick exodus. 281 00:25:30,322 --> 00:25:35,092 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, that is bread that doesn't have any 282 00:25:35,092 --> 00:25:39,472 yeast or any rising agent in it, because when they left, they had to leave in 283 00:25:39,472 --> 00:25:42,715 a hurry. They didn't have time to let their bread rise. 284 00:25:42,930 --> 00:25:50,302 So in order to commemorate, to remember this event, God is telling them for 285 00:25:50,302 --> 00:25:53,048 seven days, there will be no leavening. 286 00:25:54,280 --> 00:26:00,790 Your territory. And you shall tell your sons that day, it is because of what 287 00:26:00,790 --> 00:26:04,893 the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt. 288 00:26:05,950 --> 00:26:10,783 So this can be passed along, this memory. 289 00:26:11,635 --> 00:26:18,320 It's what we learned. We learned to follow God. We learned to obey his instructions. 290 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,966 We learned to take the necessary resources. 291 00:26:22,512 --> 00:26:30,960 And now we're going to remember and pass this information along so our ancestors, so our, 292 00:26:31,635 --> 00:26:37,556 those that come after us will know why we do what we do. 293 00:26:38,187 --> 00:26:43,520 Set apart to the Lord all the the firsts that open the womb, 294 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:51,906 all the firstborn of your cattle and your families will be set aside to the Lord. 295 00:26:52,723 --> 00:26:57,611 And when in time you come and your son asks you, what does this mean? 296 00:26:58,478 --> 00:27:04,829 You shall say to him, by strength of the hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt 297 00:27:05,032 --> 00:27:07,337 from the house of bondage. 298 00:27:08,295 --> 00:27:10,580 You need to remember. 299 00:27:11,847 --> 00:27:21,380 Now, take a moment. Remember what God has brought you through or what God is 300 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:25,300 perhaps right now leading you through. 301 00:27:25,300 --> 00:27:32,381 The wilderness that God is leading you into so that you can learn to trust, 302 00:27:32,700 --> 00:27:38,395 so that you can be transformed, so that you can be prepared. 303 00:27:38,924 --> 00:27:43,542 Remember what God is doing in your life. 304 00:27:44,864 --> 00:27:52,104 They traveled from Egypt to Mount Sinai, the Israelites faced tests. 305 00:27:52,104 --> 00:27:55,013 They lacked water. They lacked food. 306 00:27:55,846 --> 00:28:02,360 They lacked water again. Each time, God provided what they needed. 307 00:28:03,136 --> 00:28:06,893 In different ways, did they forget? 308 00:28:07,305 --> 00:28:11,594 Because they complained every time they came upon a difficult time. 309 00:28:11,594 --> 00:28:20,358 They complained to God. Did they forget that He had just provided this miraculously water or food? 310 00:28:21,043 --> 00:28:26,288 And that's why it's important to remember what we've learned. 311 00:28:27,368 --> 00:28:31,240 Think about your journey of faith. Be ready. 312 00:28:31,797 --> 00:28:38,974 Be ready to move. Be ready to travel. Be ready to do something different than 313 00:28:38,974 --> 00:28:43,727 maybe what your routine is like if God calls you to move. 314 00:28:44,417 --> 00:28:48,916 Take the necessary resources, and God will provide. 315 00:28:49,829 --> 00:28:53,834 Follow directions. Follow directions. 316 00:28:56,063 --> 00:29:00,974 Remember. Remember. Talk about your journey. 317 00:29:03,488 --> 00:29:09,037 Remember what God has brought you through, what he is now leading you through, 318 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:12,849 how he has provided. Remember. 319 00:29:14,493 --> 00:29:18,319 Let's pray. Would you stand with me? Let's close in prayer. 320 00:29:19,046 --> 00:29:23,946 Father in heaven, we have so much to be thankful for. 321 00:29:24,687 --> 00:29:29,542 Our lives, your provision, 322 00:29:30,388 --> 00:29:39,413 your promises, our learned lessons, our memories, our blessing as we see your 323 00:29:39,413 --> 00:29:40,973 work over and over again. 324 00:29:40,973 --> 00:29:43,751 Thank you, Almighty God. 325 00:29:44,483 --> 00:29:50,594 Remind us today and every day of your faithfulness and your forgiveness, 326 00:29:51,232 --> 00:29:54,083 the life everlasting that you 327 00:29:54,083 --> 00:30:00,965 have prepared for us, that you sacrificed so greatly to provide for us. 328 00:30:01,768 --> 00:30:07,734 Teach us to remember, all for Jesus' sake. Amen.