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[0:00] Thank you.

[0:30] Thank you.

[1:00] I hope you're enjoying learning Exodus as much as I'm enjoying teaching Exodus. This has been such a wonderful study thus far. So we're going to dive right in and pick up in verse 18 of chapter 4.

[1:13] And so if you're able to stand, please do so as we honor the reading of God's Word. We're going to read down through the end of the chapter here of Exodus chapter 4. Verse 18 says, And the Lord said to Moses, Now when you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power.

[2:03] But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says Yahweh, Israel is my firstborn.

[2:15] And I say to you, let my son go, that he may serve me. And if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son. Verse 24.

[2:25] At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.

[2:45] Now my guess is you didn't memorize these verses in Sunday school, right? No one put them on a coffee cup. Verse 26. So let him alone. It was then that she said, a bridegroom of blood because of the circumcision.

[2:59] The Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak and all the signs that he had commanded him to do.

[3:15] And then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of his people.

[3:27] And the people believed. And when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel, that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

[3:39] This is God's word, the strange parts and all, right? Let's pray. God, thank you for the opportunity tonight to study your word. Thank you that you have a word to speak to us.

[3:50] And I pray that in these moments, come and help me preach your word faithfully. And then God, you take that and do whatever you so choose to do in the hearts and lives of your people in this place.

[4:04] We thank you for this time. We consider it a gift of your grace to be able to learn your word. In Jesus' name we pray. And God's people said, Amen. You can be seated.

[4:15] Daddy, can we build a fort? That was the question of a seven-year-old boy that he asked his father in Jim Kern's book, which is entitled Build the Fort Today.

[4:30] And upon asking that question, the father was able to see the excitement in his son's eyes, the anticipation. And so the father said, of course, son, we can build a fort.

[4:43] I promise. From that moment on, all the boy could think about was building a fort with his dad.

[4:54] He was so excited, so excited. In fact, that the very next day when his father came home, the boy ran to his father and said, Daddy, Daddy, is today the day we build the fort?

[5:04] His father said, no, son, not tonight. I'm exhausted. The next day, the boy was still filled with excitement.

[5:14] And the father came home and the boy ran up to him and said, Daddy, Daddy, is today the day we build the fort? Not today, son. I've got a lot of work I need to do.

[5:26] The third night came. The boy once again runs up to his father. Daddy, Daddy, is today the day we finally build the fort? No, son, your mother and I made a promise to be somewhere.

[5:38] And you know how important it is to keep a promise, right? Eventually, the boy became so discouraged, he just stopped asking.

[5:50] A few weeks passed, and one morning at breakfast, the father comes up to his son and says, Today's the day. Today is the day we build the fort.

[6:05] The boy's face lit up. I mean, he was smiling from ear to ear. You would have thought it was Christmas. He was so excited. And so he went to school. He couldn't hardly wait for school to finish.

[6:17] And when the bell rang, he jumped the desk. He bolted out the door. He was sprinting home as fast as he could. All he could think about was building that fort with his dad.

[6:33] In fact, it was so much all he could think about, he didn't see the car that hit him. And when the father arrived at the hospital just before his son would pass, his father sat by the bed, and his little boy turned and said to his father, I guess we won't get to build that fort after all.

[7:03] Look at me. Has anybody ever broken a promise to you?

[7:16] Have you ever broken a promise to someone else? You see, the reason why that story grips our heart, and if you're like me, a parent, like it almost brings tears to your eyes, right?

[7:26] Like you can almost feel the guilt, like all the broken promises you've made to your children. The reason why that story grips us is because, listen, let's be honest, we know what it's like to be on both sides of that story, right?

[7:40] We know what it's like to be the little boy, to experience broken promises that people said they would, people guaranteed, people promised, and they didn't. And we also know what it's like to be on the end of the father, where we have made promises and given guarantees, and we didn't.

[7:57] Can we just all acknowledge that every single one of us tonight has experienced in one way or another broken promises? We know what this feels like. Like, I promise, I promise, I'm going to clean my room if I can just have the ice cream, and they don't.

[8:14] I promise, I promise, if you'll vote for me, I will lower your taxes. And they don't. I promise, babe, I promise, babe, if you'll just take me back, I'll never have another drink.

[8:27] And they do. Listen, listen, I know we're going to lay off some people at work, but I promise, I promise your job is safe. And it wasn't. I promise, I promise, no matter what happens, I will always be right by your side until they're not.

[8:50] I promise. Why do broken promises bother us so much? Here's why. You all know this.

[9:00] Look at this on the screen. It's because promises provide security. Amen? Promises give us something to believe in. Promises give us something to count on. Promises are what assure us in the night that there will be a morning.

[9:15] And so we go all in on that, and we bank our heart and our life on these things. But if life has taught us anything, is that it is really hard to find security in a world of insecurities.

[9:29] It is why. Listen, it's why the Bible says things like this. Notice here in Proverbs, don't boast about tomorrow. Don't make promises about tomorrow.

[9:40] Why? Because you don't know what a day may bring. Or look at what James says in James 4. Come now, you who say, tomorrow or today, we're going to do such and such, and such and such as a town.

[9:54] We'll spend a year there, and we'll trade and make a profit. But you don't know. You don't know what tomorrow's going to bring. What is your life? It's a mist that appears for a little time, and then it vanishes.

[10:07] Amen? Like, here's one thing we know. The only certainty in life, say it, is uncertainty. Life is full of broken promises, of things we believed in, of things we trusted, of things we went all in on, and they did not come to pass.

[10:28] As we come to Exodus chapter 4, we learned last week that Moses is having a really difficult time getting back in the ring of life. He's very reluctant.

[10:40] He's struggling with what God has called him to do. We talked about the fact that the reason why this is the case is because Moses has been injured. He's been hurt.

[10:51] God is calling Moses to go back to his people, and what happened the last time he was with his people. Let me remind you again, chapter 2, verse 11.

[11:02] Chapter 2, verse 11 says that one day when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people, and he looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating one of his people, a Hebrew, and he looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hit him in the sand.

[11:23] Now he went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews, his own people, were struggling together, and he said to the man in the wrong, why do you strike your companion? And that man answered, well, who made you a prince or judge over us?

[11:37] Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? And Moses was, everybody's saying, afraid and thought, surely this thing is known. I told you this last week, notice it here, Moses doesn't have a fractured limb, he has a fractured heart.

[11:53] God is calling Moses to go back to his people, and the last time he was with his people, they injured him, they rejected him. He saw their burdens, he tried to help, he stuck out his neck for them.

[12:05] He sacrificed his own position in Egypt for his very own people, and what did he get? Rejection. Who made you an authority over us?

[12:18] And he was hurt, and he's been in Midian for 40 years in isolation, and now God is calling him to go back, and he is reluctant to do so. In fact, he is not only reluctant, he is giving God every excuse in the book.

[12:30] Do you remember what they were? Here they are. Who am I? I'm really not all that qualified to do this. Surely there's somebody better for the job. And by the way, they're not gonna listen anyways.

[12:41] There's no chance they're gonna believe this story of a burning bush. Besides, I'm not even very eloquent of a speaker. Until he finally says this in verse 13, Lord, please, I'm begging you here, send somebody else.

[13:04] He's been hurt. He doesn't wanna go back. And what did I tell you last week that Moses is gonna have to learn? What did I tell you that you and I are gonna have to learn?

[13:15] You with me tonight? Here it is. You're not always gonna be able to trust people, but you can always trust God. That deserved a bigger amen, but that's okay.

[13:27] You'll warm up. You're not always gonna be able to trust people, but you can always trust God. And listen, that is exactly what the rest of Exodus 4 is about.

[13:38] Exodus chapter 4, 18 through 31, is a series of four quick events, four quick stories that happen on the way back to Egypt.

[13:51] Moses going back to his people, and each one of them, I believe, reveal the faithfulness of God. They show us that while you cannot always rely on people, you can always rely on God.

[14:07] You're better. You're better. You're better. Here's the first story, verse 18. Verse 18. Now Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and he said to him, please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.

[14:22] Jethro said to Moses, go in peace. And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, go back to Egypt for all the men who were seeking your life are dead. And I wonder if Moses is like, something that could have been brought to my attention yesterday, right?

[14:34] If you'd only told me that. Verse 20. So Moses took his wife and sons, and they rode a donkey and went back to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

[14:44] The first point here I think we see from this first episode is God's faithfulness to Moses. Now here's the problem, right? Listen, listen, listen. The problem is you've taken, maybe not all of you, but most of you have taken a week off from the book of Exodus, okay?

[15:00] It's been since last week since you've been reading this narrative, but in a normal reading, you're going to remember everything that's happened up to this point as you enter into verse 18.

[15:11] Is everybody with me? Say yes. And so if you're following along with the story, when Moses finally submits and goes back to Egypt, the reader's supposed to do this.

[15:22] Way to go, Moses, right? I mean, finally, buddy. It's kind of been a while here. Excuse after excuse, and finally Moses goes. So don't forget all the things that have happened to lead up to this point.

[15:36] Remember back in chapter 3, verse 10, that this is what God said to Moses. Come, here's a promise. I'm going to send, everybody say it, you.

[15:48] Moses, I'm going to send you to Pharaoh. You are my chosen man to lead this mission. I don't know why God did that. I don't know why God chooses us.

[16:00] But God, in his promise, chose Moses to be the man to lead this mission. And what has God done for Moses all throughout this story?

[16:12] Well, he first starts by revealing himself in a burning bush. Okay? How many of you, be honest, how many of you think that if you had a burning bush experience, that is all that you would need for faithful obedience the rest of your life?

[16:26] Anybody? Like, just give me a burning bush experience. Was that enough for Moses? No. Moses experienced the angel of the Lord in the bush, and Yahweh speaking from the bush, and it wasn't enough.

[16:41] So what else did God do in addition to speaking through a burning bush? He reveals his name. Remember what happens next? I am that. I am.

[16:51] I am the eternal reality. And God reveals to Moses his name. How many of you, if you were like, man, if I had a burning bush experience, and then God revealed to me his name, that's it.

[17:05] Obedience every day, rest of my life. Anybody? Is that what happened for Moses? No. No. He still resisted. So not only does he reveal through the burning bush, and not only does he reveal his name, the next thing he does is he gives three miraculous signs.

[17:19] We talked about them last week. A staff to the snake and back, the leprous hand that gets healed, the water that gets turned to blood. I mean, now you've got the bush, now you've got the name, and now you've got three miracles.

[17:33] How many of you would be like, oh my goodness, if I got that, I mean, I'd be obedient. No, you wouldn't. Neither was Moses. Because this is when Moses says, I'm not a very eloquent speaker.

[17:45] He's still trying to get out of it. That's when God says, listen, I'm going to be your mouth. I'm going to tell you what to say. In fact, we know from the text that God even gives Moses his brother Aaron to aid and support him.

[17:59] You say, what are you getting at? What's the point in all this? Notice this on the screen. Man, this will preach. If you think it's hard being patient with God, try being patient with you. Anybody?

[18:11] Like, how many of us struggle with, God, would you just hurry up? Would you just hurry up? I assure you, God waits on you a whole lot more than you wait on him. And all God's people said, amen.

[18:22] You're a hard-headed num-num, and you heard it here first. And so am I. We're like Moses. Oh, we think if we had all these miraculous things, but no, no, our sin would continue to pull us away.

[18:36] And God, here's my point, at no moment gives up on Moses. At no point does he pull back the promise. At no point does he pick someone else.

[18:48] At no point does he say, we've decided to go in a different direction. In fact, Moses, listen, the only reason Moses is still in the game when he should have been, like in the first inning, go to the bullpen, let's bring in the lefty, this guy's out, Aaron, you're in.

[19:05] The only reason why God hasn't done that is because he made a promise to Moses. He made a promise to Moses. You see, faith family, Israel is not only God's chosen people, Moses is God's chosen man.

[19:23] And Romans 11 says, the calling of God is irrevocable. It shows us that God never has and God never will forsake his promises to his people, ever.

[19:39] Now listen, when it comes to the promises of God, I wanna say two very important things and then we'll get on to the rest of the stories. These are very important. If you're taking notes, jot them down. This is so incredibly important because I see people as a pastor do this all the time.

[19:52] And I've done this from time and time before. And it's something we need to be very careful of. Notice this. First of all, God never has and God never will forsake his promises. We said that.

[20:02] Go to the next one. It's this. That do not apply promises to you that are not for you. Do not apply promises to you that are not for you.

[20:15] Here's what I mean by that. There are promises that are given in the Bible that are given to specific people at specific points in time that do not apply to everyone.

[20:26] I mean, people do this all the time specifically with the Old Testament is they'll pull out promises given to Israel and only for Israel and they'll apply it to so many other things.

[20:37] For example, God hasn't promised that you're going to be the person to deliver Israel out of Egypt. That was a promise to Moses. That promise doesn't apply to you. People, and I'm going to upset some people and you're probably going to have to redecorate your coffee table now, but people will say, if my people will humble themselves, I will heal their land and they'll apply that to America.

[20:58] But the problem is that wasn't a promise given to America. That was a promise given to Israel. And so we have a problem often applying promises to us that do not apply to us.

[21:12] Don't be lazy with your Bible. If a promise is given, you need to do the hard work to make sure that promise is for you or you're going to assume God didn't fulfill his promise when God is saying, I never promised you that.

[21:30] That was for somebody else in a specific context. Here's the second thing we got to understand about the promises of God. And it's kind of like what I just said is don't claim promises God didn't make.

[21:42] I see this a lot with people. God promised me that I was going to get that job. No, he didn't. I mean, unless there's a 3 Corinthians that's written to you, I don't know about.

[21:56] And listen, I know this is sensitive, so please give me some grace here. When I'm dealing with grieving families, I will often have families that will just say, God promised that he was going to heal my husband.

[22:07] No, he didn't. Unless you mean in the resurrection, unless you mean that through death, being in the presence of God, that's healing.

[22:20] If that's what you mean, sure. But we often claim promises that God never said. We put words in God's mouth that he never spoke. So when it comes to God's promises, don't apply the promises to you that aren't for you, and don't claim promises that God didn't make.

[22:40] Can I give you some good news? Here are actually some promises that do apply to you from God's word. He has promised to give you strength, Ephesians 3. Promised to give you rest, Matthew 11.

[22:51] Promised to provide for your needs, Ephesians Philippians 4. Promised to answer your prayers, Matthew 7. Promised to work all things to good according to his purpose, Romans 8. He has promised to always be with you, Matthew 28.

[23:03] He has promised to never forsake you, Hebrews 13. He has promised to forgive you of your sins, 1 John 1. He has promised that nothing will separate you from his love, Romans 8. And he has promised to give you everlasting life.

[23:16] Those promises you can bake on. Amen? Those promises are actually promises given to you and therefore applied to you and you can trust them.

[23:28] God always fulfills his promises. That's the first story. Here's the second story. Pick it up in verse 21. And the Lord said to Moses, now when you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I've put in your power, but I'm going to harden his heart so that he will not let the people go and then you shall say to Pharaoh, thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, let my son go, that he may serve me and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.

[23:59] Here's the second story and it teaches us about God's faithfulness over Pharaoh. Not to Pharaoh, over Pharaoh. That God is going to be faithful to his people as they battle against Egypt.

[24:12] We're introduced here to something that we're going to learn more about in Exodus so I won't spend a lot of time here this evening. But one of the things that God does throughout this story and throughout this interaction with Moses is he keeps telling Moses what to expect.

[24:26] He's telling Moses what's going to happen so that Moses doesn't like freak out when it happens. It's like, listen, I told you this day was coming. I told you it was going to be like this. I told you it's not going to be easy.

[24:38] Amen? And what God says here to Moses is this. When you go to Pharaoh and you tell him the very thing I want you to tell him, here's what's going to happen. He's going to refuse.

[24:50] Pharaoh is not going to be like, that sounds like a great idea. Why don't you take all of our slaves and just leave? We'll even give you chariots to escort you out. No. He's going to resist and he's going to resist because I'm going to harden Pharaoh's heart.

[25:05] Now again, the purpose of tonight, because we'll come back to it later, is not to discuss how it works between Pharaoh hardening his own heart and God's sovereignty over Pharaoh's heart. We'll look at that later.

[25:15] Tonight, all I want you to see is this. The very promise that God gave to Moses about Egypt in Exodus 4 exactly comes to pass.

[25:27] These are just a few examples. We'll look at many later on in Exodus 8.15. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he, say it, hardened his heart and he wouldn't listen to them as the Lord had said.

[25:44] Look at chapter 8, verse 19. Then the magician said to Pharaoh, this is the finger of God. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them as the Lord had said.

[25:55] Chapter 9, verse 12. But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh and he did not listen to them as the Lord had spoken to Moses. Look at chapter 9, verse 35.

[26:09] So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not let the people of Israel go just as the Lord had spoken through Moses. And again, there are more and more examples of this later on.

[26:20] Here's the point. God was faithful to his promise that he would be over Pharaoh and over Egypt. No matter what resistance you face, listen, I'm going to be faithful.

[26:36] I told you this is what it was going to be like and I'm telling you that victory is yours. Which sounds a lot like what God has promised you. You say, me?

[26:50] I mean, God's never given me a promise like this. Yeah, he has. Here's what he says to his followers now. I've said these things to you that in me you may have peace.

[27:02] Can I give you a promise? Here's a promise. In this world, you're going to face a lot of suffering. Anybody want to say amen? You amen that one, right?

[27:15] Listen, I promise you in this world there's going to be a lot of tribulation. But take heart because I've got another promise. I've overcome the world. Now think about that through the lens of Exodus.

[27:28] There's two things that God is promising you there that are like what he promised Moses. One, it's not going to be easy. This being on the journey of faith and following Christ in this world is going to be full of tribulation.

[27:50] It is going to be full of suffering. There is going to be all kinds of resistance but you are overcomers in Christ because he has overcome the world.

[28:04] Do you see? Moses, when you go to Egypt it's going to be hard. It's not going to be easy. It's not going to go well at first but I want you to know I'm faithful over that and I'm promising you you will overcome.

[28:18] Notice that on the screen faith family you're not in a battle with the gods of Egypt but you're in a battle with the gods of this world every day. Every day and you are fighting disease and suffering and trials and death and conflict and all kinds of evil but look at what God's word says to you.

[28:38] 1 John 4 verse 3 Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God this is the spirit of the antichrist which you heard was coming and is now in the world already but little children this is old John writing these words little children you're from God and you've overcome them for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world and Romans 8 37 after all the distress and all the suffering Paul says no in all of these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

[29:19] Listen listen listen in this crazy suffering life God is faithful over it all and he will bring you to a victorious place he promises here's the third story God is faithful to Moses he's faithful over Pharaoh and now the strange one when we were reading it earlier we were like what's he gonna do with that what in the world like this verse 24 so they come to a motel six it's my version and the Lord met Moses and sought to put him to death then Zipporah this is Moses' wife took a flint cut off her son's foreskin touched Moses' feet with it and said surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me so he let him alone it was then that she said a bridegroom of blood because of the circumcision you ever read parts of the

[30:25] Bible and you're like I can't believe that's in there and what in the world does it mean I mean listen first of all here's the first question I have when I'm reading it is this God called Moses and now God wants to kill Moses husband wait a minute what was all that one in a million talk what was all that one in a million talk God I thought I was your boy I thought I was your man and now you're not just calling me you want to kill me like that's weird and then there's this whole circumcision thing in fact I love what this is what some of the commentary say about this verse right see what some of the smart people say quote these verses are probably the most puzzling in Exodus here's another this paragraph!

[31:15] this paragraph has baffled many interpreters here's a third this passage is full of interpretive challenges and here's the last one and this is by far my favorite quote biblical scholars love this passage because it's totally incomprehensible!

[31:32] Amen! Like what is going on here let me tell you what these verses are about and once you begin to kind of get through the weird stuff it actually makes total sense and it is something beautiful about God and it's this that he is faithful to his covenant that God is faithful to his covenant now follow along close if you've zoned out what do you do?

[31:53] Zone back in because if you really want to understand these weird verses you're going to have to listen here's what's happened here's what's gone down Moses has failed to circumcise his sons after all he's been living in Midian there's been no reason he had to do that but now he's been called to go back to his people right and he I realize this is difficult for us to understand but remember that the sign of the covenant the sign of God's covenant to his people was circumcision and refusal to do that for the nation of Israel was very very serious and it was not optional okay stick with me look back in Genesis 17 and verse 10 this is what God says to Abraham when this was first initiated this is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your offspring after you every male among you shall be circumcised so every male offspring no exception was to be circumcised and here were the consequences if you didn't do it verse 14 any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people cut off from God's people because you've broken my covenant

[33:11] I'm not trying to be funny I'm just trying to tell you the play on words there is you either cut or you'll be cut there are no exceptions you either do the sign of circumcision or you will not be a part of the people of God now remember the whole point of circumcision listen was to remind Israel there is coming a baby there's going to be an offspring there is a seed that is why it was put where it was put to remind them there is coming an offspring of Abraham and his name is Jesus you with me so far what was the entire reason behind the Exodus why is God delivering his people in the first place here it is Exodus chapter 2 verse 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered what he remembered his covenant the covenant he made with Abraham the covenant he made with Isaac and Jacob and everybody right here right here right here here's what's happening

[34:16] God is saving Israel from Egypt because he won't forsake his covenant the sign of that covenant was circumcision and Moses the very man that God has called to lead this Exodus has failed to do the very thing God will make no exception for in other words Moses you don't have to be eloquent of speech but you do have to obey my covenant that is not an option and if you do not it will mean your death and it appears as though in order for God because warnings often come in to get us to do the right thing okay God knows Moses is going to do the right thing or he knows Moses' wife will but God sends a life threatening illness to get Moses' attention threatens his life and in response

[35:20] Moses' wife does the very thing he should have done does that make sense it's still difficult but that's what it means and you say what do we learn from all of it it's this God will not forsake his covenant there are no exceptions and you say well finally verses in the Bible or verses in Exodus that don't apply to me oh these verses apply to you are you still listening when you come to the New Testament the message shifts in fact the language of the apostle Paul is this it is now no longer circumcision of the flesh it is circumcision of the heart and what is the sign that you are in God's covenant it is now no longer about circumcision it is about faith faith is the sign of the covenant now faith in what faith in the one who was cut off for our sins on the cross all the

[36:31] New Testament proclaims listen to me tonight faith family that it now is not about circumcision what matters now is Christ and if you don't believe in him the same threat that applies to Moses applies to you the wages of sin is death oh I'm telling you you thought these verses had no relevance to you listen to me tonight if you forsake God's command the command to embrace the sign of the new covenant and the sign of the new covenant is faith in Jesus Christ if you like Moses neglect that command you will face death and judgment and eternal separation from God but if you will embrace the sign of the covenant and trust

[37:33] Christ as your savior here is the rest of the verse the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord and God's people said amen listen you have a decision just like Moses had a decision you can either take the sign of the covenant or not you can either believe in Christ or not and the consequences will be yours I plead with you tonight to come to faith in Christ to embrace the sign of this new covenant and believe in Jesus Christ because listen if you do if you are one of God's covenant people guess what you get to know for the rest of your eternity he's never going to forsake his covenant with you this shows how serious

[38:36] God is about his covenant with his people amen and you thought those verses were weird so what do we see God's faithfulness to Moses God's faithfulness over Pharaoh God's faithfulness to his covenant and this is the last one and we'll be short verse twenty twenty twenty twenty!

[38:56] the say it they believed they believed and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel that he had seen their affliction they bowed their heads and they worshipped this is showing us how God is faithful to his promise this is really kind of a summary of all of the others namely that again God is always coming through when he says he's going to do something he does it every time and you say where do you get this from very quick I'm almost done when Moses and Aaron finally speak to the people of

[39:57] Israel what do the people of Israel do they believe that they believe that God has said these things why is that important because look here on the screen Exodus chapter 3 verse 16 this is before all of this God tells him to go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them the Lord the God of your fathers the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob has appeared to me and saying I have observed you and what has been done they will listen to your voice and do you remember in chapter 4 verse 1 the very thing Moses didn't believe would happen they won't listen to me they won't believe me there's no chance even if I know your name even after all these signs they're not going to believe yeah they will trust me

[40:59] I promise do you see it and every one of these stories is the faithfulness of God what does Moses have to learn come on I'm landing the plane here so put your seats back up okay and focus what has Moses got to learn as he's going into the wilderness what do you and I have to learn in this wilderness of life here it is you're not always going to be able to trust people sometimes your very own people hurt you Moses I get it I totally get it but you can always trust me Moses you can trust me you're my man I'm going to use you you're going to be victorious over

[42:02] Egypt I'm not going to forsake my covenant and when I tell you they will listen they will listen all of this is to teach us to trust the faithfulness of God and as I close can I tell you why it is that God's promises always come to pass go back to the verse I said at the beginning of this message where we are told not to boast about tomorrow and the reason we're not to boast about tomorrow and make promises is because you don't know what the day may bring right do you know why God's promises always come to pass because he is he's I am he's I am that I am which means man this this will this will preach whatever reality you're unsure of is a reality he already exists in do you know why

[43:10] God can tell Moses you're going to be victorious over Egypt because God's already there do you know why God can promise you a future day of resurrection because he's already there he is and because he is here it is because he is you don't ever have to doubt he won't because he is you don't ever have to doubt he won't I promise those are words that stir up a whole lot of emotion and it's because every one of us knows what it's like like the story of the father and the son to be on both sides of broken promises but faith family listen to me tonight if like Moses if you're ever going to get back in the ring of life if you're ever going to have an exodus over the hurt of your past or the fear of your future you're going to have to learn one one one secure thing in life and here it is his name is

[44:28] Jesus the one who is the fulfillment of God's promises to you as Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 1 20 all the promises of God find their yes in him and God's people said amen amen let's pray Lord we thank you for this passage for us to learn tonight there is no question that everybody in this room has been on the end of either broken promises or promises that we have broken we know what it's like to seek security in a world full of insecurity and that's why we got to learn what Moses learned and we're reluctant and we make excuses and we have all of our justified reasons that we don't want to go we don't want to do this or that or we're afraid and we got to learn we got to learn that you're the only secure one because you're the only one that is the rest of the world ain't but you are

[45:50] I am and that means when you make a promise we really can bank our life on it I pray tonight like in Moses life that this truth of your faithfulness would be healing for us that you would enter in with this truth into hearts and lives that have been hurt and broken because of broken promises and that you would truly heal us by your own faithfulness to us and particularly now as we turn our attention to the cross and communion and the word supper and we are reminded of just how far your faithfulness goes that you came in flesh took on our sin to give us the promise of eternal life help us now as we worship you in remembrance of the cross and I pray it in

[46:51]  Jesus name amen Nab