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[0:00] Thank you.

[0:30] Thank you.

[1:00] Thank you. Thank you.

[2:00] Thank you. Exodus chapter 5 and verse 19. It says, It says,

[4:08] It says, Matt's actually a transfer student from another college team. And so he came into this really excited to start the first new game with his brand new team.

[4:22] Matt steps up to the plate for his first at-bat in the third inning of the first game. And here's what happens. He gets hit by pitch.

[4:34] Now, listen, listen. If you know anything about baseball, if you know anything about sports, you know that's not really that big of a deal. That's not uncommon. It happens all the time. And so next time, he'll get them.

[4:46] Next time will be his moment. And next time came in the fifth inning. And in the fifth inning, Matt once again stepped up to the plate and got hit by a pitch.

[4:57] Well, okay, listen, that's a little strange. But again, that's not an uncommon thing to happen in baseball. And so, again, he'll get them the next time. And next time came in the seventh inning.

[5:08] And in the seventh inning, Matt, I'm not making this up, got hit by a pitch. That's three straight times that Matt gets hit by a pitch.

[5:19] Three times in one game. Now, again, the good news for Matt is that this is a three-game series. Okay, he's got a lot of time left. There's a lot of baseball left to be played.

[5:31] And as I mentioned, on the first day, they were going to play two games, a doubleheader. And so Matt got to play in the second game that very afternoon. In that game, Matt was not hit by a pitch three times.

[5:47] Matt got hit by a pitch four times. Four times in the second game. That's right. That's right. Your ears are working.

[5:58] In seven at-bats, he was hit by a pitch every single time. Now, I don't know about you, but at this point, I think I take a ping pong or a different sport, something a little less painful.

[6:11] Again, it's a three-game series. And so in the final game of the series on Sunday, Matt gets up to the plate on his very first at-bat and boom, hits a home run over the right field fence.

[6:29] And all God's people said, just kidding. Matt got hit by a pitch. Now, for the eighth time, for the eighth time.

[6:40] I got you on that one. Listen, in a three-game series, Matt had nine plate appearances. He was hit by a pitch and eight of them.

[6:52] He was interviewed. Some of you are like, oh, you're feeling so sorry for Matt. He was asked after the game and interviewed because he set a record, as you can imagine.

[7:02] And he said he had several bruises on his body, but then he said something that I really think we can all relate to. Here's what he said. Quote, it sure would have been nice to get some hits rather than always getting hit.

[7:21] Now God's people said, amen. Like, can anybody relate to Matt? Can anybody relate to Matt? And I don't mean like getting hit in the game of baseball.

[7:31] I'm talking about taking hits in the game of life. I mean, anybody here tonight just willing to be honest and say, there are days it would be nice to get some hits rather than always getting hit.

[7:47] Listen, sometimes life makes you feel like this. And the hits just keep on coming. Amen. Like it is just one hit after another.

[7:57] And every time we step up to the plate, it seems like we're getting hit again. And just when you think that it couldn't possibly be any worse, you get hit again.

[8:10] I mean, just when you thought you were about to turn the corner financially and boom, another bill. Just when you thought you were beginning to feel better physically, you take a turn for the worse.

[8:21] Just when you thought you had kicked the addiction, you relapse. Just when you thought you found someone different, you get disappointed. Just when you thought the relationship was making progress, you have an argument and it blows up again.

[8:37] Every single one of us knows the feeling of taking hit after hit, wondering, is it ever going to stop?

[8:47] Are you with me? Do you resonate with that? Anybody like, can the hit stop? Can I get some hits instead of being hit? That is exactly how Israel feels when we come into Exodus chapter 5.

[9:04] Now, I want to remind you how Exodus chapter 4 ends. This is where we ended last week. Look at Exodus 4 verse 30 through 31. It says that Aaron spoke all the words of the Lord that had been spoken through Moses, and he did the signs in the sight of the people.

[9:24] And the people did what, faith family? They believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction. And what did they do? They bowed their heads and they worshipped.

[9:37] Now, listen to me. Why that reaction? Why is Israel responding that way? It's because God, through Moses and Aaron, has shared that they are going to be delivered from Egypt.

[9:51] That they are going to be set free from this bondage. In other words, I want you to get in their minds emotionally. For the very first time, in a very long time, 400 years to be exact, they finally have a feeling of hope.

[10:06] For the first time, in a very long time, like 400 years, they finally have something to believe in. They finally have something to look forward to. They finally can look at their future and actually see something positive.

[10:20] And I bet you they're doing the same thing you and I do. They're packing their mental bags. Already picturing what this freedom is going to look like.

[10:35] Their confidence is renewed. Their expectations are now high. And this happens. Chapter 5, verse 1. Afterward, Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.

[10:57] But Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? And let Israel go? I do not know the Lord.

[11:07] Something, by the way, faith family, I hope no one in this room can say. I do not know the Lord. Or moreover, I will not let Israel go. Verse 4.

[11:19] But the king of Egypt said to them, Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens.

[11:33] The same day, Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks as in the past.

[11:44] Let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of the bricks that they made in the past, you shall impose on them. You shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle.

[11:57] Therefore, they cry, let us go and offer sacrifices to our God. Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.

[12:13] So here's what happens. Okay, are you feeling this? Okay, if you're Israel, and you've been in bondage for 400 years, and Moses and Aaron, they come to you, and they declare to you the promise of God, that he's going to set you free.

[12:27] He's going to lead you out. And you believe that promise. And you worship God. For the first time, you've got hope. But instead, the labor gets harder.

[12:39] Instead of Pharaoh letting Israel go, he ratchets up the work. And now they're going to have to gather their own straw to make the bricks. And the Egyptians will not reduce their quota.

[12:52] In other words, all of the hard labor they've had just got harder. Let me ask you, has life ever gone from bad to even worse?

[13:03] Like, that's what's happened for Israel. It was already bad enough, but now it's gotten even worse. And can you imagine how they must feel? You've been in prison for years, and you've just been told that you're going to be set free.

[13:17] You're going to be released. Tomorrow's the day, right? That's at least what you're thinking. All you've been told is the release is coming, and you start dreaming. You start thinking about what it's going to be like to see your family, and what it's going to be like to see your friends.

[13:31] And here's what all of you are going to be thinking. What it's going to be like to bite into a juicy McDonald's cheeseburger. You know, like it's been prison food for so long, and you know, you don't like McDonald's now, but right now you'd be like, yeah, yeah, I cannot wait just to have a McDonald's cheeseburger.

[13:46] And then when the guard comes to release you, you're informed you've been moved to maximum security. Okay, listen up, everybody. Turn up your volumes. Announcement. I got good news.

[13:58] We're extending arts and crafts time by four hours today. My fingers hurt. What's that? My fingers hurt. Oh, well. Now your back's going to hurt because you just pulled landscaping duty.

[14:12] Anybody else's fingers hurt? No, no, not at all, right? I mean, your life was already hard. You just got landscaping duty. Your life just got harder.

[14:25] Now, when Israel realizes this, when they become aware that life has gone from bad to worse, they are furious, as you can imagine, with Aaron and Moses.

[14:37] In fact, look at what they say to Aaron and Moses when they get back from Pharaoh. Pick it up in verse 20. They met Moses and Aaron who were waiting for them, and when they came out from Pharaoh, they said to them, the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.

[15:02] Moses, we believed in you. We trusted you. You said you had a promise from God, and you had signs to back it up, and we bought in.

[15:16] We believed. We let ourselves hope again. Listen, and now look at what we're facing. You've only made life harder.

[15:27] You've only made life worse. And then, listen, you notice how that anger has been a ripple effect, a domino effect, into Moses and Aaron and their response to God.

[15:40] Pick it up in verse 22. Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, God, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you even send me?

[15:51] For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all. Do you sense the anger and frustration with Moses and Aaron in those verses?

[16:06] Listen, don't read the Bible like it's just emotionless. There's a lot of emotion there. The people of Israel are mad at Moses and Aaron because they believed and they trusted, and now life has gotten harder.

[16:19] Moses and Aaron are now mad at God because, listen, you said that they were gonna be free, and this ain't happening. Like, God, what are you doing? Why did you even send us here?

[16:30] I'll tell you what it reminds me of. It reminds me of Jonah. You remember Jonah? When he actually finally goes to Nineveh, and God brings a revival in Nineveh, and what you find is Jonah on the outside of the city flaming mad at God.

[16:47] You knew this is why I didn't wanna come. You knew this was the very reason I resisted and ran to Tarshish. And Moses here is saying, like, don't you remember all the excuses I gave you as to why I didn't wanna be a part of this?

[17:02] God, why did you bring me here? I finally did what you wanted me to do, and instead of life getting better, it got worse.

[17:13] Now, I keep talking about how people say, the book of Exodus isn't relevant for me, and haven't we seen every single week that the word of God in the book of Exodus is relevant to your daily life?

[17:24] Amen? Tell me you can't relate to this. Tell me you can't relate to doing what you thought was the right thing, stepping out and doing what you thought God had asked you to do, but life didn't get better.

[17:38] It got worse. And you were left confused as to how this whole thing was even gonna work out. Let me give you some examples. I hear these a lot as a pastor, is that people will become a Christian.

[17:53] They'll finally surrender and say, yes, Lord, I put my faith in Jesus Christ, I surrender my life to you, and all of a sudden life gets worse, at least circumstantially.

[18:04] And I'll have people come to me and they'll say, listen, pastor, can we talk? I don't understand. I'm actually believing. I'm now trusting, but my life hasn't gotten better at all. In fact, if I'm being honest, it's gotten worse.

[18:16] Or maybe you step out on a certain call that you feel God has called you to do, like with Moses, and life doesn't get better. It gets worse. Or another one, people will say, they get involved in church.

[18:27] You know, they finally start serving. They finally start, you know, serving the Lord in the local church, and all of a sudden they become attacked and get involved in all kinds of things, and they're like, God, what are you doing?

[18:39] Have you ever asked this question? Notice it on the screen. Why does doing the right thing sometimes bring the wrong result? Anybody ask that?

[18:51] God, why does doing the right thing seem to bring the wrong result? Or here's one of our struggles, I think, often is this. Notice it here. Is that our struggle is not really if God will keep his promises, but when God is going to keep his promises.

[19:09] Like, God, I know that you're going to come through, but when are you going to do it? Like, hurry up now. Because if you're paying attention week after week, when God gave Moses the promise that Israel would be delivered, did he tell them when?

[19:24] He didn't, did he? He didn't say on Tuesday at five o'clock, that's when it's going to happen. Moses has got to walk by faith. So the struggle here is not if God's going to fulfill his promise, but when is he going to do it?

[19:38] Notice this here on the screen. I think this is really important for us to think about. Sometimes in the middle of promises foretold and promises fulfilled, life gets worse before it gets better.

[19:55] Are y'all with me tonight? Like, you're caught in this middle of promise foretold, they're going to be free from Egypt, but promise isn't fulfilled yet, and so somewhere in this middle, we think, we assume, we project that it's going to be immediate, that life is going to get better, and it doesn't.

[20:14] In fact, it not only gets better, it gets worse. One of the biggest mistakes that we have or we make when we go through the wilderness of life is this, we got to learn this, faith family, is that obedience equals immediate deliverance.

[20:29] God, if I do what you say, if I do what the Bible tells me to do, then immediately you're going to fulfill your promise. Immediately you're going to do what you said you were going to do. If I go to Egypt, like you told me to go to Egypt, if I do the signs that you tell me to do, if I tell Pharaoh what you tell me to say, it'll get better, right?

[20:50] But it doesn't always work that way. Obedience doesn't always lead to immediate deliverance, and I could give you a lot of examples biblically for this.

[21:01] What about Abraham? Abraham is promised that he's going to have a son. Abraham and Sarah are promised this promised son. Does anybody remember how long they have to wait for the promise to be fulfilled?

[21:15] So promise foretold, you're going to have a son. Promise fulfilled, 25 years later. And in between, life does not get better for them, it gets worse.

[21:29] Or what about Joseph at age 17? He has a dream that he's going to be the ruler over his brothers. Promise foretold. But promise fulfilled didn't happen until 22 years later.

[21:43] And in between, slavery, prison, false accusations, and spending a whole lot of time alone. Promise foretold, but we're not to promise fulfilled.

[21:58] And sometimes in the middle, it gets worse before it gets better. I'll give you one more, the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul was living the life of luxury as a Pharisee. I mean, he had it made.

[22:09] He had authority, he had popularity, he had everything that you could want in the eyes of the world, but then he encountered Jesus and he surrendered his life to Christ. And listen, did Paul's life get better?

[22:21] And I'm talking circumstantially. Did Paul's life get better or worse after meeting Jesus? A lot worse. Here's how Paul describes it. Tell me if this sounds better to you.

[22:32] 2 Corinthians 11, 24. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews 40 lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.

[22:43] Three times I was shipwrecked, a night and day adrift at sea, on frequent journeys, in dangers of rivers and robbers, my own people, dangers from the Gentiles in the city, in the wilderness, danger at sea from false brothers, in toil and hardship, though many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food and cold and exposure.

[23:06] And apart from these things, as if that wasn't enough, apart from these things, there's the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Boy, it sure does sound like Paul was living his best life now.

[23:20] Right? Just name it and claim it, Paul. Positive thinking will get you on the road to hope. Right? Just, no, no. In fact, this is what I think Paul would tell you. If you want the easy life, stay a Pharisee.

[23:33] But if you want the abundant life, follow Christ. Let me read that again. This is Paul speaking. If I'd have wanted the easy life, I'd have stayed a Pharisee.

[23:44] But I wanted the abundant life. And so I follow Christ. See, we've got to get this in our minds, the mystery of God's providence.

[23:55] It doesn't always come about the way we think it will. Amen, faith family? And in the meantime, sometimes the hits just keep on coming. It's one pitch after the next, and we're just thinking, God, why in the world did you send me here?

[24:11] And this exposes something for us. It exposes something for Israel as well as Moses and Aaron. Look here in verse 20 of chapter 5.

[24:22] I read this earlier, but I want to go back and look at it again. They met Moses and Aaron and they were waiting for them. And as they came out from Pharaoh, they said to them, the Lord look on you and judge because you made us, what?

[24:35] What? Stink. Now look at the next phrase. I've got it here in caps. In the sight of Pharaoh and his servants.

[24:45] You made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hand to kill us. This is such an interesting phrase.

[24:56] You've made us stink in the sight. Have you ever stunk in someone's sight? What? It doesn't work that way, does it? You don't. I see that you stink, right?

[25:09] Boy, I see that you really need a bath, right? No, no, that's not the case at all. The phrase here is not an increased labor is going to increase their body odor and now all of Egypt is going to be able to see how smelly they are.

[25:25] That's not what this phrase means. The phrase stink in the sight of Pharaoh is that, listen, it's not just that they're bothered by their suffering in and of itself, it's how their suffering makes them look in the eyes of other people.

[25:46] Man, this will preach. In other words, notice it on the screen. Israel is not only tired of working as slaves, they're tired of looking like slaves.

[25:59] And when you, come on, come on, be honest with me. When you're going through trials in life, there's that sense of pride in you that hates being seen as weak.

[26:10] You feel the pressure of everybody looking at you like, man, what did you do to upset God like Job's friends? We step out and do what we think we're supposed to do and life doesn't go the way we think and we get frustrated and we get angry because the way we're made to look in the eyes of other people and what is the source of that issue?

[26:32] It is not the providence of God, it's the pride of our own heart. This is what gets exposed with Israel and Moses and Aaron, notice it on the screen, is that the problem really isn't the promise of God.

[26:46] It's the pride of your heart. The reason why you're so angry, the reason why you're so frustrated, is not because of anything with God, but it's about you and what you want as ultimate in your life.

[27:07] Trials have a way of showing us that our ultimate desire is our good rather than the glory of God. Let me say it again.

[27:17] Trials have a way of exposing that what we really want is our own good rather than the glory of God. It's interesting here that things go from bad to worse and we now can interpret, somebody just say preach, preacher.

[27:36] Y'all with me? I think the forecasted snow has already put some of you to sleep, but that's okay. Listen, listen. Now we're able to see what was actually going on at the end of chapter four.

[27:51] Israel's worship of God wasn't based on God. It was based on a better life. And there's a sense in which we wouldn't blame them, right?

[28:02] There's nothing wrong. The Bible doesn't say like, yay, let's stay in slavery for 400 more years. We don't blame Israel for wanting a better life, but the reason and motivation for their worship was a good life, not the goodness of God.

[28:19] And do you know how that got exposed? Life got harder. And when life got harder, when it went from bad to worse, they begin to realize how it makes us look in the eyes of other people.

[28:35] Notice another thing, and we'll close with this. What God's plan in all of this is, why he allows this to go from bad to worse, what's he doing here?

[28:46] Look at chapter six, so we get into a little bit of chapter six here in verse two. Notice here in these verses, the repeated phrase, I have them highlighted in all of these, the repeated phrase in every verse.

[28:58] This is chapter six, verse two. So God now answers Moses after Moses has offered up his complaint. And God answers this, I am the Lord.

[29:09] And what an answer. God, why did you send me? Why am I even here? You're not doing what you promised. You're not helping the people of Israel. And here's God's response.

[29:20] I'm the Lord. I love that. God doesn't have to explain himself. He's God. I'm the Lord, Moses.

[29:31] You're not. Remember? I am, you ate. Okay? That's how this works. I'm the Lord. You're Moses. Look at chapter six, verse six, same thing.

[29:43] Say therefore to the people of Israel, say it with me, faith family. I am the Lord. And I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from the slavery to them. And we'll redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment.

[29:58] So God repeats the promise he's already given them. But all of that starts with, I'm the Lord. He says it again in verse eight. Look at it. I will bring you into the land. I swore to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

[30:10] I will give it to you for a possession. Again, I am the Lord. What's he doing here? After God brings, after Moses brings his complaint to God, God repeatedly states, I am the Lord.

[30:26] And remember Moses' question is, what are you doing? Why did you even send us? Why aren't you doing something? And the response is, here's what you have to learn. I am.

[30:39] I'm the Lord. In other words, God tells Moses that the reason why he is doing this is so that the Israelites will remember his name, will know that he is the Lord.

[30:55] God wants Israel to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is him that delivers them. In other words, listen, God has bigger plans for Israel than to just bring them out of slavery.

[31:08] Are you listening? He actually wants Israel to know who he is. This isn't just about getting you out of something. This isn't just about, you know, bringing you into a better life.

[31:21] What I'm doing and when I'm doing it is designed to show you I am. I am. I am.

[31:32] That is, the goal of our suffering is to strengthen our faith in the God who is. Let me say that again that was worth your price of admission. The goal of our suffering and trials and difficulties is not, listen, the goal is not to get a better life.

[31:52] The goal is to know who God is. It's to strengthen our understanding in who God is. In fact, as I was reflecting on this passage, I'm almost done.

[32:03] As I'm reflecting on this passage, I was thinking this passage really fits very well through the lens of Matthew 13. In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus tells the parable of the soils or the parable of the seed or the parable of the sower, whichever one you want to call it.

[32:20] Do you remember this parable? Where there's a sower going out to sow. They're spreading the gospel. They're delivering the word of the Lord and some of it falls on a hard path and is immediately rejected.

[32:34] Some of it falls on the stony ground or the thorny ground where it lasts for a little while but then it gets choked out. But then some falls on the good soil and it grows and it grows and it perseveres.

[32:50] It gets deeper and it produces fruit. Now I want you to take that parable and that lens and place it on Exodus chapter 5 and what do you see?

[33:00] You see first the hard heart. The hard heart with Pharaoh. Listen, what is Pharaoh's response when the word of God through Moses and Aaron comes to him?

[33:13] His response is to do what? Immediately reject it. I don't want to hear that. I don't even know the Lord. Who is this?

[33:24] Yahweh. You speak of. I don't know what you're talking about and I don't want to listen for a moment at what you have to say. By Pharaoh's own admission, he wants nothing to do with the word of the Lord.

[33:37] He wants nothing to do with what God has said through his people. It's a threat to his kingdom, isn't it? I mean, why would I let you go? Why would I listen to this word of Yahweh?

[33:50] because to do so would mean I would lose all my power. I would lose all my authority. Tell me that isn't how many people respond to the gospel.

[34:03] This King Jesus? I don't know who you're talking about and I don't want to listen anyways because I'm the king of my life and I'm the authority in my life.

[34:17] You're not going to tell me how to live. You're not going to tell me what to do and I'm certainly not going to bow the knee and just let my life go. And they reject and their heart is hard to the gospel of Jesus.

[34:32] Do you see that there? And then what about Israel? This is the shallow heart, the thorny ground of that parable. Go back to how they respond.

[34:43] I'm sorry, look at what Jesus describes this ground as in Matthew 13 verse 20. Tell me you don't see Israel here. As for what was sown on the rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

[35:01] We're going to get out of Egypt? Yes! We believe. We worship. Moses and Aaron, thank you. You brought to us such good news. Verse 21.

[35:11] Yet he has no root in himself. He endures for a while, but when life gets harder, when life goes from bad to worse, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, what happens?

[35:29] They fall away. And this is what happens to Israel. The word of God comes to them. They immediately believe and rejoice and worship. Why? They love the idea of deliverance.

[35:42] But when life gets harder, they go back to their unbelief. This will preach. Faith family, you with me? Here it is. It's easy to believe when it's easy to believe.

[35:58] It's easy to believe when it's easy to believe. When Moses and Aaron comes with the promise of deliverance, it's easy to believe. When you are being pressed into harder work by the powers of Egypt, it's easy to doubt.

[36:18] What God is after, I think, in this text and what God is after in this room and in this place is this, the believing heart. The believing heart.

[36:29] The believing heart is the heart that God is trying to cultivate in his people. Right? That he wants you to believe when life is easy and when life is hard.

[36:41] Because what your life is based on is who God is, not how your life is. Look at it here on the screen. Faith in who God is regardless of how life is.

[36:55] Are y'all with me? That's what God is after for his people then and that is what God is after in his people now. So whether it is deliverance, whether it is harder labor, the point is what?

[37:08] Not a better life, but I am the Lord. That's the kind of faith we're to have in the wilderness. Because I'm just going to tell you, Faith family, and I'm done.

[37:19] In the wilderness, in the wilderness, the providence of God is not going to make sense. It's not. You're going to walk into Egypt thinking, you know, this is going to take about five minutes.

[37:32] Pharaoh, let's go. See, it's easy. And life gets harder before it gets better. And the thing you've got to know in the moment is not how life is, but that God is.

[37:47] So here's the summary, I think, of Exodus chapter five. The summary is this. God gives his people a promise of deliverance, but life gets worse before it gets better.

[37:58] And this usually exposes our shallow faith and prideful heart. But God is developing in us a deep faith, not just in what God will do, but in who God is.

[38:17] That's Exodus chapter five. I don't think there's a single person in this place tonight that at some point hasn't been hit by a pitch over and over and over again.

[38:30] You know exactly what it feels like to be Matt and to feel like it's one hit after another. So what do we do when life goes from bad to worse, when it's one hit after another?

[38:44] We would do well not just to remember Exodus chapter five and what God is doing in his people, but we would do well to remember what God is doing in the life of Jesus Christ.

[38:56] Right? Listen, when Jesus came to earth, did we go from promises foretold to promises fulfilled overnight? We didn't, did we?

[39:08] What happened in between promise foretold and promise fulfilled? Rejection by his own people, arrested by the authorities, betrayed by his closest friends, crucified for our sins, and the worst of all, facing the Father's wrath and rejection on the cross.

[39:34] And let me tell you, faith family, look right there, that is as bad as human life can get. There is no worse life than a crucified one. But what happened three days later?

[39:48] All the promises of God were fulfilled. Listen, whatever it is that you're going through right now, here's what you need to remember.

[39:59] It's this. You don't have to know when he will. You just need to know that he is. Let's pray. Let's pray. God, thanks for once again, in what can be a difficult Old Testament book teaching us things that are so relevant to our daily life and daily walk.

[40:22] We have all felt like Israel feels and Moses and Aaron feel in Exodus 5, the mystery of your providence, how we just don't understand why certain things go the way they go and why life sometimes gets harder before it ever gets better when we're trying to do the right thing.

[40:42] But help us tonight learn what you were teaching Israel then. Teach us this now is that what really matters is that I am the Lord. And we've got to in the wilderness learn to trust you to work it all out in your perfect timing, not our own.

[41:06] And tonight, for us to take a few moments and reflect on the cross, because it would have been easy all throughout the Old Testament when promise foretold, promise foretold, promise foretold, one after another to just be like, when's this gonna happen?

[41:23] When, when, when, when? And the New Testament says this, when the fullness of time had come, Christ came.

[41:35] Lord, if the cross teaches us anything, it's that you are the Lord and your timing is perfect.

[41:51] Let us reflect on that now in our own lives as we turn our minds to the cross, as we think about just how hard life was for our Savior.

[42:03] and three days later came promise fulfilled. Be with us now as we take this time to remember and worship and express our praise to you for all you've done and for who you are in Jesus' name.

[42:18] Amen. Amen.

[42:35]  Abend Nab!