WEBVTT 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:02.020 Good morning, Watermark. 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:11.060 As Eric said, we began a series in Exodus last week, which Chris Thornton introduced 00:00:11.060 --> 00:00:11.720 to us. 00:00:11.859 --> 00:00:16.059 And what you don't know, and what Chris is too modest to tell you, is that he actually 00:00:16.059 --> 00:00:17.699 wasn't supposed to preach. 00:00:18.500 --> 00:00:22.400 Alfie, who was, got concussed in a rugby match the day before. 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:28.240 So at 2 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, Chris gets a call, please will you preach? 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:31.699 And by the way, the topic is, God is in control. 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:38.099 Now, if there ever was a practical outworking of the sermon, this was it. 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:40.960 But if you missed it, you can still get it. 00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:42.799 It's on the church website. 00:00:42.899 --> 00:00:45.420 If you go to resources and under sermons, it's there. 00:00:45.659 --> 00:00:51.140 It really, it was a message that totally blessed me, and I encourage you to go back and give 00:00:51.140 --> 00:00:51.519 it a listen. 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:56.439 For those of you who don't know me, my name is Graeme, and I'm one of the elders here. 00:00:56.439 --> 00:01:01.839 And if you're an Australian or a Kiwi, you might be thinking to yourself, what is that 00:01:01.839 --> 00:01:03.659 heavenly language he is speaking? 00:01:04.819 --> 00:01:07.179 And actually, it's just my South African accent. 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:10.459 And I owe a lot to my accent. 00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:13.479 Actually, I think my accent got me married. 00:01:14.180 --> 00:01:20.659 Because my wife confessed to me about two years into marriage, she said to me, you know, 00:01:20.659 --> 00:01:24.239 when I first met you, I thought, wow, he's just too hairy for me. 00:01:25.019 --> 00:01:27.399 But I do like his accent. 00:01:28.259 --> 00:01:30.079 So I have a lot to be grateful for. 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:32.000 So that was a few years ago. 00:01:32.479 --> 00:01:34.219 Now we have two kids. 00:01:34.539 --> 00:01:39.179 I have a son, Elijah, who's five, and a daughter, Daniela, who's two. 00:01:39.679 --> 00:01:43.259 Now, if you don't have kids, you think to yourself, oh, that's cute. 00:01:43.260 --> 00:01:47.340 If you have kids, you think, that house is crazy. 00:01:47.960 --> 00:01:49.900 And that's exactly what our house is. 00:01:50.140 --> 00:01:56.280 Especially between about 7 and 8.30 at night, our house is nuts. 00:01:56.859 --> 00:02:01.939 Okay, that is, it's dinner time, play time, fighting time, wrestling time, story time, 00:02:02.080 --> 00:02:04.400 Bible time, bedtime, crazy time. 00:02:04.800 --> 00:02:09.060 And usually by about half past 8, my wife and I, we are done. 00:02:09.060 --> 00:02:13.860 We kind of feel like we've been in a boxing match for an hour and a half, and we're kind of done. 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:16.580 Okay, those parents who have kids know what I'm talking about. 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:23.060 And, you know, by half past 8, we still have some work to do, and we're totally dead. 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:29.740 But occasionally, very once in a blue moon, the kids go down easy, and we actually have some time to ourselves. 00:02:29.939 --> 00:02:35.199 So one thing that we do very occasionally is we watch a movie other than SpongeBob, right? 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:42.579 So, but the problem is my wife really doesn't like watching a movie with me at that time because I fall asleep. 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:46.500 You know, by 10 o'clock, the lights go out, and I'm out. 00:02:46.599 --> 00:02:49.459 And she wants to finish the movie, and I'm fast asleep. 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:56.179 But a few years ago, there was a movie that we watched together which had me totally, totally enthralled. 00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:58.479 It was really, it's a fantastic movie. 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:01.139 And I would rate it as probably the best movie I've ever seen. 00:03:01.459 --> 00:03:03.539 It was called The Shawshank Redemption. 00:03:03.539 --> 00:03:05.719 Has anyone seen The Shawshank Redemption? 00:03:05.959 --> 00:03:06.199 Okay. 00:03:07.979 --> 00:03:09.799 It's about 20 years old, right? 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:11.239 So we're showing our age here. 00:03:11.299 --> 00:03:20.859 But the basic idea of this story is that there's a man called Andy Dufault who gets wrongly accused of murdering his wife. 00:03:21.259 --> 00:03:26.699 And he gets sent to this prison, Shawshank, which is a maximum security prison. 00:03:26.859 --> 00:03:28.079 It's totally inescapable. 00:03:28.180 --> 00:03:30.159 No one has ever escaped from this prison. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:35.199 And anyway, the basic plot of the movie is what happens to him in prison. 00:03:35.299 --> 00:03:39.680 But at the end, Andy Dufault manages to escape from Shawshank. 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:43.060 And it's this incredible story, right? 00:03:43.079 --> 00:03:48.519 Because the movie actually goes back and shows you how he managed to pull off this escape, right? 00:03:48.520 --> 00:03:54.900 And it took years of preparation for the moment comes when he actually managed to escape, right? 00:03:54.960 --> 00:04:00.219 The story of a man who was in prison but won his freedom, right? 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:01.900 This fantastic escape story. 00:04:02.860 --> 00:04:09.100 But it really is nothing in comparison to the escape story of Exodus. 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.800 Exodus literally means the going out. 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:17.379 And it is the greatest escape story of all time. 00:04:17.460 --> 00:04:25.920 In fact, Joey, who's age nine, after Sunday school, his mother asked him what he had learned in Sunday school. 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:28.040 And she knew they were looking at Exodus. 00:04:28.840 --> 00:04:29.480 And he said, 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:41.200 Well, Mom, we learned that God sent Moses behind enemy lines on the secret rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. 00:04:41.819 --> 00:04:48.400 And when he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge over the sea. 00:04:48.860 --> 00:04:50.280 And the Israelites walked across. 00:04:50.520 --> 00:04:54.480 Then he used his radio and he called in the bombers. 00:04:54.480 --> 00:04:59.060 And the bombers came and they bombed the bridge before the Egyptians could get on. 00:04:59.340 --> 00:05:01.160 And all the Israelites were saved. 00:05:02.140 --> 00:05:03.660 And Joey's mother looks at him and says, 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:06.420 Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you? 00:05:07.100 --> 00:05:07.700 And he goes, 00:05:07.800 --> 00:05:09.100 Well, no. 00:05:09.840 --> 00:05:14.040 But if I told you what the teacher told me, you would never believe it. 00:05:14.780 --> 00:05:17.240 And really, Exodus is like that. 00:05:17.340 --> 00:05:19.759 It is an unbelievable story. 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:31.480 It is the story of about two million people plus thousands of animals who were slaves in one of the most fortified nations at the time. 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:40.039 And they managed to walk out of, from their captives' eyes, they managed to walk out of this country through the desert, 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:44.120 which is even more amazing because Israel, I mean Israel, Egypt was so powerful, 00:05:44.780 --> 00:05:50.980 they had agreement with everyone around them that if they caught anyone, they sent them straight back to Egypt. 00:05:51.340 --> 00:05:54.320 And here they managed to pull it off. 00:05:54.439 --> 00:06:03.500 In fact, a military expert has sort of sat down and analyzed what the Israelites would have needed to survive in the desert. 00:06:03.500 --> 00:06:04.720 And this is what he came up with. 00:06:04.779 --> 00:06:11.379 He said, Just to survive, that amount of people would have needed 900 tons of food a day. 00:06:11.639 --> 00:06:15.339 They would have needed 7.5 million liters of water. 00:06:16.060 --> 00:06:20.860 And if they had walked five in a row in a column and just kind of walked out of Egypt, 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:25.540 the line would have lasted 370 kilometers. 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:29.720 It would have taken you 10 days just to walk past them. 00:06:29.720 --> 00:06:35.720 And all this, they were led by one man. 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:38.100 So how did they do it? 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:44.060 Humanly speaking, this story should have never happened. 00:06:44.700 --> 00:06:45.840 But it did. 00:06:46.340 --> 00:06:48.280 Because it is a divine story. 00:06:48.460 --> 00:06:51.140 God is behind the whole thing. 00:06:51.820 --> 00:06:55.880 And the story of Exodus really reveals to us something of God's character. 00:06:55.879 --> 00:07:00.560 Because ultimately, God is a redeemer. 00:07:00.740 --> 00:07:06.899 He loves to get you out of the mess you're in and bring you into his promises. 00:07:07.100 --> 00:07:13.560 If you trust in his ability, you trust in his power and put everything in his hands. 00:07:15.459 --> 00:07:19.600 So who was this human leader of the whole thing, right? 00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:21.519 It's a guy called Moses. 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:21.719 Moses. 00:07:22.680 --> 00:07:30.259 And at 80 years of age, Moses gets this call to go and be the human leader of this great escape. 00:07:31.939 --> 00:07:36.159 80 years of old, 80 years of age tells me two things straight away. 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:39.159 It tells me something about old people and tells me something about young people. 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:44.820 So young people, I don't know, can I call myself young, right? 00:07:44.900 --> 00:07:53.400 But anyway, young people, I think their greatest strength is they have zeal and enthusiasm and they want to get stuff done. 00:07:54.460 --> 00:07:59.500 The problem is we're in a hurry, but God often isn't. 00:07:59.500 --> 00:08:05.060 And his time frame is very different to a young person's idea of a time frame. 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:10.920 And he might take a lot longer to prepare you for what he wants to do with your life. 00:08:12.100 --> 00:08:17.860 Now, for old people, it tells me that you're never too old. 00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:20.199 It's never too late for God to use you. 00:08:20.839 --> 00:08:22.439 I don't know if you've ever felt this way. 00:08:22.500 --> 00:08:23.000 I have. 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:29.060 But sometimes you think, oh, well, let's just leave it to the younger generation, right? 00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:30.019 They've got more time. 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:31.259 They're more enthusiastic. 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:33.279 They get stuff done. 00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:34.500 Let's just leave it to them. 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:37.440 God does not let you off that easy. 00:08:39.539 --> 00:08:41.279 So here's this man, Moses. 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:48.159 And if you rewind 80 years, he's an adopted son in Egypt. 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:51.679 And he was raised with the best of everything. 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:56.279 He had the best clothes, the best education, the best food, the best accommodation. 00:08:56.539 --> 00:08:59.219 He probably had the best view in Egypt. 00:08:59.359 --> 00:09:02.019 This guy is living the Hong Kong dream. 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:05.859 He's Pharaoh's adopted son. 00:09:05.979 --> 00:09:08.120 He's a prince in Egypt. 00:09:10.179 --> 00:09:16.500 And humanly speaking, he is at his height of power and ability at the age of 40. 00:09:16.579 --> 00:09:20.159 And if you are going to use someone, this should be it, right? 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:23.120 This should be the time in his life. 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:25.679 But God doesn't work that way. 00:09:26.819 --> 00:09:36.939 And, you know, we might think we need to be in a position of power and influence to be used of God. 00:09:36.940 --> 00:09:41.940 And by all means, God can use people in positions of power and influence. 00:09:42.040 --> 00:09:43.060 He's done it again and again. 00:09:43.380 --> 00:09:51.580 But God can use anybody, regardless of age, regardless of status, and regardless of position. 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:58.300 You see, it was the Lord who had made Moses mighty in the palace in Egypt. 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:02.079 But what he really needed to do was make Moses meek. 00:10:02.579 --> 00:10:06.120 And he was going to use the desert to achieve that. 00:10:07.259 --> 00:10:11.419 So Moses, at age 40, he's got all this power, all this ability. 00:10:12.219 --> 00:10:14.459 But he finally sees something. 00:10:14.579 --> 00:10:18.620 He sees his Hebrew brothers and sisters oppressed. 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:20.919 He sees the injustice of it all. 00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:23.740 And he wants to do something about it. 00:10:23.819 --> 00:10:28.779 And he trusts in his ability, his power to get the job done. 00:10:29.419 --> 00:10:33.360 And the first thing he sees is an Israelite getting beaten up by an Egyptian. 00:10:33.740 --> 00:10:35.360 He doesn't ask God what he should do. 00:10:35.439 --> 00:10:40.620 He just runs in there and sorts the Egyptian out, kills him, buries him in the sand. 00:10:41.699 --> 00:10:46.339 So he acts at the wrong time and certainly uses the wrong method. 00:10:46.340 --> 00:10:53.660 But it's as if Moses is saying, God, I'm going to do this for you rather than with you. 00:10:55.500 --> 00:11:01.379 And Moses is in for even more of a shock because the very people he's trying to help, 00:11:02.399 --> 00:11:04.220 they don't even accept his leadership. 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:06.580 You know, they're like, who made you leader? 00:11:06.680 --> 00:11:07.780 Are you going to kill me too? 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:13.879 And Moses' whole world comes crushing down. 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:20.440 So he does the only thing he can and he runs away to the desert. 00:11:20.660 --> 00:11:21.460 I'm done. 00:11:21.940 --> 00:11:23.420 I'm finished. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:24.519 I've lost everything. 00:11:24.660 --> 00:11:25.639 I've lost my power. 00:11:25.980 --> 00:11:27.180 I've lost my ability. 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:29.759 And it can happen to us. 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:37.379 What would it take for your world to come crashing down? 00:11:37.379 --> 00:11:43.360 The truth is not very much. 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:48.059 It could be a financial collapse. 00:11:48.179 --> 00:11:55.960 It could be a sickness, a death, a bad relationship, a rumor that destroys your reputation. 00:11:56.600 --> 00:12:00.240 But through all this, God is not worried. 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:05.899 Moses has lost his power, his ability, his influence. 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:09.100 But God has not lost his. 00:12:12.100 --> 00:12:16.940 If our world were to collapse, the same would be true today. 00:12:17.019 --> 00:12:21.759 We might lose all our security, all our power, all those things that we think hold us up. 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:29.500 And when they fall and we've lost them, God has lost his power or ability. 00:12:31.259 --> 00:12:32.539 Because here's the truth. 00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:43.659 God can do more with one man alone in the desert than he can do with one man with all the power and luxury in a palace in Egypt. 00:12:43.659 --> 00:12:49.419 See, God had been preparing Moses in Egypt for 40 years. 00:12:50.459 --> 00:12:55.279 And now he was preparing him for another 40 years in the desert. 00:12:55.399 --> 00:13:00.319 If you want a summary of the life story of Moses, he lived to be 120. 00:13:01.699 --> 00:13:03.059 It would go something like this. 00:13:03.219 --> 00:13:08.079 For the first 40 years, Moses grew up thinking he was a somebody. 00:13:09.299 --> 00:13:12.980 He spent the next 40 years learning that he was a nobody. 00:13:13.659 --> 00:13:19.519 And he spent the last 40 years of his life learning what God could do with a nobody. 00:13:21.079 --> 00:13:22.439 So here's Moses. 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:23.279 He's 80. 00:13:23.899 --> 00:13:26.799 And he's a shepherd in Egypt. 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:29.000 And he's kind of scratching out a living. 00:13:29.959 --> 00:13:31.579 And he's in the desert. 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:33.980 And there is a bush on fire. 00:13:34.059 --> 00:13:36.279 Now, it would have been an acacia bush. 00:13:36.379 --> 00:13:39.179 There is nothing special about an acacia bush. 00:13:39.220 --> 00:13:41.120 It's just an ordinary bush. 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:42.699 There are a whole lot of them. 00:13:42.700 --> 00:13:43.920 But this one is different. 00:13:44.180 --> 00:13:45.560 This one is on fire. 00:13:45.660 --> 00:13:47.660 And that gets Moses' curiosity up. 00:13:47.780 --> 00:13:50.680 And he goes and he has a look. 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:55.320 And if Moses had actually realized in hindsight, 00:13:55.540 --> 00:13:59.720 he was being shown a picture of his life's work. 00:14:00.780 --> 00:14:06.240 Just an ordinary acacia bush, but ablaze with God. 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:11.899 Because this wasn't a fire that burnt and consumed the bush, but it filled it up. 00:14:13.100 --> 00:14:15.000 And our lives can be like that too. 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:21.620 Just an ordinary acacia bush, but ablaze with God. 00:14:22.899 --> 00:14:24.360 And God calls Moses. 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:26.820 He says, Moses, Moses. 00:14:26.820 --> 00:14:30.520 Do you know that God knows your name? 00:14:32.379 --> 00:14:36.480 The Bible says God knows the number of hairs on your head. 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:41.280 Now, I'm making that job a little bit easier for God because I'm actually losing my hair. 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:44.180 So, I'm helping him out there a little bit. 00:14:44.420 --> 00:14:47.800 But God knows you personally. 00:14:47.799 --> 00:14:50.620 So, here's Moses. 00:14:50.819 --> 00:14:53.879 He must have thought he's been totally forgotten, right? 00:14:53.979 --> 00:14:57.359 Forty years he's been scratching a living in the desert. 00:14:57.500 --> 00:15:03.939 He must have given up all hope of ever being able to help his fellow people. 00:15:03.940 --> 00:15:06.820 And God calls him. 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:09.660 Moses, Moses, I know who you are. 00:15:10.340 --> 00:15:14.820 I want you to go back to the very place you failed. 00:15:15.560 --> 00:15:18.900 Because you see, at 40, you were big, tough, and strong. 00:15:19.080 --> 00:15:23.980 And you were going to do it in your strength, your way, using your ability. 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:27.540 He said, now that you're 80, now we can do it together. 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:31.980 Now you're going to use my power, my ability. 00:15:33.940 --> 00:15:37.820 Now you would have thought, at this point, Moses would have been quite happy to hear that. 00:15:39.520 --> 00:15:42.740 But five times, he tries to get out of the whole thing. 00:15:43.880 --> 00:15:46.740 You see, it seems like at 40, he's just way too eager. 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:50.100 And at 80, he's just very reluctant. 00:15:51.160 --> 00:15:56.880 I don't know if you've ever walked into a class on the first day of school, right? 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:58.140 P1 or grade 1. 00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:00.200 And the teacher asks a question. 00:16:00.380 --> 00:16:01.160 It's the kids. 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:03.820 You just see 30 hands go, pick me, pick me, pick me. 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:05.780 They are like the donkey in Shrek, right? 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:07.900 They're jumping up and down to be chosen. 00:16:08.680 --> 00:16:14.020 You fast forward to the last year of school, form 6. 00:16:14.980 --> 00:16:17.520 Teacher asks a question, and it's just eyes down. 00:16:18.040 --> 00:16:18.740 Don't look at me. 00:16:18.840 --> 00:16:19.300 Don't look at me. 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:20.200 Don't make eye contact. 00:16:21.640 --> 00:16:23.900 And that's exactly a picture of Moses, right? 00:16:24.040 --> 00:16:25.800 He's just like, please don't pick me. 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:28.919 So Moses comes up with his first excuse. 00:16:29.059 --> 00:16:31.419 He says, who am I? 00:16:31.500 --> 00:16:35.519 You know, just in case you haven't noticed, God, I'm pretty insignificant now. 00:16:36.479 --> 00:16:41.219 I'm a shepherd, and we all know shepherds are pretty much looked down on. 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:49.920 So Moses is this healthy modesty that Moses is displaying here. 00:16:50.980 --> 00:16:54.060 Now, this excessive self-depreciation. 00:16:54.059 --> 00:17:03.419 It's good to feel inadequate if it drives you to God. 00:17:05.059 --> 00:17:09.099 It's bad if it drives you away from God's work. 00:17:09.099 --> 00:17:13.879 It's good to feel inadequate if it drives you to God. 00:17:14.759 --> 00:17:19.359 It's bad if it drives you away from God's work. 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:26.719 You see, because this false modesty is really, it's kind of like a pride in reverse. 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:30.819 There is the kind of pride that scrambles for the front seat, right? 00:17:30.879 --> 00:17:35.000 But there is another kind of pride that kind of scrambles for the back seat. 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:38.920 So all of you sitting in the middle today, you're fine. 00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:40.500 Okay, that's a joke. 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:47.380 But he says to Moses, he says to Moses, Moses, I didn't say you would do it. 00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:50.700 I said, I'll be there. 00:17:51.460 --> 00:17:53.220 But I need you to be there too. 00:17:54.900 --> 00:17:57.200 So to this excuse, God answers Moses. 00:17:57.339 --> 00:17:59.440 Moses says, God, I'm insignificant. 00:17:59.819 --> 00:18:01.259 God looks at him and says, you know what? 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:02.440 I'm not. 00:18:02.980 --> 00:18:04.000 I'm not insignificant. 00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:11.880 And it's kind of like when God looks at you and he uses your life, he's not looking for the most qualified person. 00:18:12.539 --> 00:18:18.019 You know, we've been looking around and we've decided that you are perfect for this call. 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:25.660 It's God looking at your life and saying, I'm going to use you by my mercy and grace. 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:27.960 And we're going to do this together. 00:18:29.079 --> 00:18:31.079 There's a lovely little quote I found, right? 00:18:31.079 --> 00:18:33.039 I don't know who said it, but it goes something like this. 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:39.000 It says, God does not give us the jobs we are fit for. 00:18:39.539 --> 00:18:43.279 He fits us for the jobs he gives us. 00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:51.859 And if we are afraid of some ability or inability that we do not have, that's actually a good starting point. 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:58.079 Because we go to the one who is significant, who does have it all, and we can draw on him. 00:18:58.079 --> 00:19:04.199 The second excuse Moses gives is, well, I'm ignorant. 00:19:04.379 --> 00:19:05.220 You know, what should I say? 00:19:05.299 --> 00:19:07.079 Who sent me? 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:15.879 And God gives him the name Yahweh, which is Hebrew for I am. 00:19:16.379 --> 00:19:22.299 And if we just stop for a minute and think what a wonderful name that is. 00:19:22.639 --> 00:19:26.079 It tells at least three things about God. 00:19:26.159 --> 00:19:29.279 It tells me that God is personal. 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:31.279 I am, right? 00:19:31.339 --> 00:19:34.799 No one says I am without being personal. 00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:38.500 It also tells me that God is eternal. 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:41.299 He's not the God I was or I will be. 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:43.099 He is I am. 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:44.980 The beginning and the end. 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:47.599 The alpha and the omega. 00:19:48.379 --> 00:19:50.779 And it also tells me he's unique. 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:52.720 There's no one quite like him. 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:56.139 You can't really just limit the description of God. 00:19:56.140 --> 00:19:59.259 I mean, for one thing, he's three and one, right? 00:19:59.660 --> 00:20:00.300 And I'm not. 00:20:01.280 --> 00:20:09.120 And if you just compare this to the gods of Egypt at the time, you really understand this contrast, right? 00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:15.720 Because some of the gods in Egypt, one was called Ammon, which means concealed or hidden. 00:20:16.360 --> 00:20:19.360 I mean, could you imagine praying, dear hidden? 00:20:22.080 --> 00:20:22.640 Okay. 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:25.240 As opposed to I am there. 00:20:26.140 --> 00:20:32.360 The other god was called Ra, which means swift or fast. 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:37.900 And I'm assuming because he was so swift and fast, they used to refer to Ra as an it. 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:42.900 Nothing personal, just a force somewhere out there that moves pretty quickly. 00:20:43.560 --> 00:20:47.160 As opposed to I am. 00:20:48.120 --> 00:20:50.160 But you know the most wonderful thing about the name? 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:52.160 Is it's incomplete. 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:52.360 Complete. 00:20:54.300 --> 00:20:56.500 I am blank. 00:20:57.380 --> 00:21:02.540 And it's almost like you put anything you need after that name. 00:21:03.779 --> 00:21:05.560 It's a little poem that goes like this. 00:21:05.620 --> 00:21:05.920 It says, 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:26.180 It's as if I need love. 00:21:26.180 --> 00:21:27.720 I am love. 00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:28.600 I need strength. 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:29.799 I am strength. 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:31.600 I need provision. 00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:34.100 I am your provider. 00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:41.039 It's kind of like if we get it, it's we've been given this blank check of everything we would ever need. 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:50.319 The question is, how often are we cashing in that blank check to be used? 00:21:50.379 --> 00:21:54.240 What is it that you need this morning? 00:21:56.619 --> 00:22:00.099 Have you asked the great I am for it? 00:22:00.099 --> 00:22:02.939 Do you need comfort? 00:22:03.059 --> 00:22:04.059 I am your comforter. 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:05.659 Do you need forgiveness? 00:22:05.879 --> 00:22:07.379 I am your righteousness. 00:22:07.919 --> 00:22:12.799 And it's as if he is saying to Moses, Moses, I am your provider. 00:22:12.959 --> 00:22:14.980 I am the redeemer. 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:18.939 I am sent you. 00:22:18.940 --> 00:22:26.759 Moses just goes, but God, excuse number three, they are not going to believe me. 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:30.860 God is incredibly patient, don't you think? 00:22:31.140 --> 00:22:33.420 At this point, he is still listening to Moses. 00:22:33.420 --> 00:22:39.100 And he says, Moses, they will believe you because of what I will do. 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:44.279 You see, you are thinking about your own inability again. 00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:49.319 You're thinking about yourself and you're thinking you're in this alone. 00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:57.440 People will believe the words of God when they see the works of God. 00:22:58.279 --> 00:23:06.339 When they see his power, his beauty, his ability, and not yours, that is when people will believe. 00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:12.500 We are merely vessels through which we allow God to work. 00:23:12.500 --> 00:23:13.759 Let him use us. 00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:18.319 And he gives Moses three miracles, right? 00:23:18.399 --> 00:23:20.539 He says, okay, Moses, this, this, I'll prove it to you. 00:23:20.619 --> 00:23:24.240 He goes, you see that little staff you're holding, that little shepherd staff? 00:23:24.920 --> 00:23:25.839 Throw it on the ground. 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:28.379 Moses throws it on the ground and God creates a snake. 00:23:28.639 --> 00:23:32.819 Now, Moses does the only sensible thing he's done since this conversation started. 00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:34.259 He runs away. 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:35.879 It's a snake, right? 00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:36.960 And I mean, it's quite funny. 00:23:37.059 --> 00:23:38.500 God must have actually had to call him back. 00:23:38.619 --> 00:23:40.980 Moses, just pick that thing up. 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:46.120 And I actually have to really credit Moses with a little bit of faith here because he picked the snake up. 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:47.839 I don't think I would have picked the snake up. 00:23:47.860 --> 00:23:49.339 But anyway, he grabs it by the tail. 00:23:49.500 --> 00:23:50.900 It turns back into a staff. 00:23:50.940 --> 00:23:53.299 And he says, now, Moses, stick your hand in your coat. 00:23:54.299 --> 00:23:55.079 Pull it out. 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:56.079 Heal. 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:57.000 Leprous. 00:23:57.159 --> 00:23:57.599 Disease. 00:23:58.399 --> 00:23:58.839 White. 00:23:59.679 --> 00:24:00.740 Okay, put it back in your pocket. 00:24:02.199 --> 00:24:02.599 Healed. 00:24:03.579 --> 00:24:03.799 Okay. 00:24:04.599 --> 00:24:12.500 Moses, if they don't believe that, you're just going to take a cup out of the Nile, pour it on the ground, and I'm going to turn that water to blood. 00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:20.880 And I don't know if you notice this, but those are miracles of threat. 00:24:21.059 --> 00:24:23.279 They're miracles of destruction, right? 00:24:24.259 --> 00:24:28.380 A snake kind of signifies death to me. 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:31.660 Leprosy, disease. 00:24:32.500 --> 00:24:34.319 And finally, the Nile. 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:37.059 This was the source of life for Egypt was the Nile. 00:24:37.420 --> 00:24:40.880 That very thing that's meant to give you life can be turned to death. 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:50.080 This, we worship a God who creates and gives life, but he is also a God who can destroy. 00:24:53.380 --> 00:24:55.480 He is a God to be feared. 00:24:57.340 --> 00:25:04.960 And Moses just hears this, and he just says, excuse number four, I've got a speech problem. 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:09.900 At this point, you're like, Moses, come on. 00:25:09.900 --> 00:25:14.420 But we're getting closer to the real reason here. 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:21.160 I think of a plumber from Bradford in England. 00:25:21.700 --> 00:25:28.400 He was born in 1859, and he went by the name Smith Wigglesworth. 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:29.640 A great name, that, Smith. 00:25:29.640 --> 00:25:37.660 And anyway, Smith couldn't read or write, and he had a genuine speech problem. 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:42.640 And he felt the call to go and preach. 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:45.840 And he didn't want to do it. 00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:46.800 You can understand why. 00:25:46.860 --> 00:25:47.759 He's got a speech problem. 00:25:47.820 --> 00:25:48.360 He doesn't want to do it. 00:25:48.520 --> 00:25:53.060 And he actually tried to find someone else to do his job for him. 00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:56.019 In fact, he even said, I'll pay you. 00:25:56.099 --> 00:25:57.039 I'll finance you. 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:58.419 But can you preach? 00:25:58.579 --> 00:26:00.819 And he couldn't find anyone. 00:26:01.579 --> 00:26:05.019 So eventually, Smith begins to preach. 00:26:05.159 --> 00:26:09.419 And God healed him of his speech problem. 00:26:09.420 --> 00:26:13.080 And the people who listened to him were amazed. 00:26:13.160 --> 00:26:18.420 Because this is the same plumber from Bradford that we heard mumble and stumble his way through things. 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:20.400 Because he was so fluent. 00:26:20.560 --> 00:26:25.960 He was so articulate with God's work that people were amazed. 00:26:26.759 --> 00:26:30.039 But you see, Smith Wigglesworth had the same problem as Moses. 00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:38.359 He was so focused on his own inability rather than looking at God's ability. 00:26:40.099 --> 00:26:44.480 You know, I think the saddest thing about all this is Moses could have actually done the job. 00:26:45.420 --> 00:26:46.899 He really could have done the job, right? 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:54.519 But God, in his patience and his mercy, says, all right, listen, you have your younger brother to come and help with this little thing. 00:26:54.519 --> 00:27:00.480 I think it's just a beautiful little touch of God's grace and mercy and patience with Moses. 00:27:00.599 --> 00:27:04.240 But then Moses just finally blurts it out. 00:27:05.639 --> 00:27:08.379 Send someone else. 00:27:09.599 --> 00:27:11.240 That's the truth of it, right? 00:27:12.139 --> 00:27:13.720 He didn't want to go. 00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:15.700 It's as if Moses is saying, here I am. 00:27:16.139 --> 00:27:16.639 Send him. 00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:24.620 You know, we can come up with five excuses or 500 excuses. 00:27:24.800 --> 00:27:29.820 Or we can hide behind our own ability or our own inability. 00:27:29.820 --> 00:27:35.100 But the truth is sometimes we just don't want to do it. 00:27:35.160 --> 00:27:37.640 And that's true of me too. 00:27:38.040 --> 00:27:43.220 But when we do that, we're really doubting two things about God. 00:27:44.259 --> 00:27:46.120 We're doubting God's ability. 00:27:46.119 --> 00:27:50.259 We don't think that he is really good. 00:27:50.339 --> 00:27:52.579 We don't think that he really is powerful. 00:27:52.859 --> 00:27:56.859 And we don't think he will do what he says he will do. 00:27:58.439 --> 00:28:03.279 The other thing that we're doubting is God's authority. 00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:08.219 It's like, who are you to tell me what to do? 00:28:10.639 --> 00:28:11.899 I find it amazing. 00:28:11.900 --> 00:28:19.420 One of the first things we're called to do as Christians is we call Jesus Lord and Savior. 00:28:19.860 --> 00:28:24.360 Now, Lord means the ruler, the boss, the king of your life. 00:28:24.359 --> 00:28:26.819 I'm handing you control. 00:28:26.819 --> 00:28:37.439 And if we call him Lord, but then we do not surrender to his authority, is he really Lord to us? 00:28:37.679 --> 00:28:39.259 I heard someone once say this. 00:28:39.339 --> 00:28:45.219 They said, if he is not Lord of all, he's not Lord at all. 00:28:45.220 --> 00:28:49.900 Because it's a contradiction to the very name Lord. 00:28:51.600 --> 00:28:56.740 Are we doubting his authority and his goodness and his ability? 00:28:56.740 --> 00:29:02.839 Have any of you heard of a man named Phil Fisher? 00:29:04.380 --> 00:29:05.500 Okay, that's encouraging. 00:29:06.299 --> 00:29:08.839 Have any of you heard of VeggieTales? 00:29:09.960 --> 00:29:10.759 Okay, good. 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:15.220 Phil Fisher was the creator of VeggieTales. 00:29:15.380 --> 00:29:20.740 And Phil Fisher, from a very young age, was an incredibly talented animator. 00:29:20.740 --> 00:29:26.180 He spent his childhood in the basement animating and making movies. 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:29.380 And he was really, really good at what he did. 00:29:29.539 --> 00:29:30.759 And he loved Jesus. 00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:33.400 And he thought, I'm going to do something for God. 00:29:33.420 --> 00:29:36.120 And I'm going to use my animation for God. 00:29:36.359 --> 00:29:37.880 So he goes to seminary. 00:29:37.960 --> 00:29:39.500 He doesn't really think seminary is for him. 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:40.420 He drops out. 00:29:40.839 --> 00:29:44.940 And he starts this company called Big Idea Productions. 00:29:44.940 --> 00:29:49.299 And in 1993, VeggieTales is born. 00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:50.759 And it's amazing. 00:29:50.840 --> 00:29:53.220 Because quickly, this thing just explodes. 00:29:53.559 --> 00:29:53.580 Right? 00:29:53.640 --> 00:29:59.200 I mean, who would have thought a talking cucumber and a talking tomato blows the world away? 00:29:59.279 --> 00:29:59.900 But it does. 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:00.140 Right? 00:30:00.180 --> 00:30:02.759 Everyone becomes fascinated with VeggieTales. 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:06.140 It sells millions of copies worldwide. 00:30:06.140 --> 00:30:12.940 And pretty soon, people are asking, my goodness, you know, Phil, are you the next Walt Disney? 00:30:13.580 --> 00:30:17.560 Because it became one of the largest animation studios in America. 00:30:18.220 --> 00:30:21.640 They went from a staff of three in 1993. 00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:26.200 Seven years later, they had 200 people working from them. 00:30:27.800 --> 00:30:32.040 And there were just people crowding around him and said, listen, you know, this thing is good. 00:30:32.320 --> 00:30:33.300 We want to invest. 00:30:33.520 --> 00:30:34.640 We need to merchandise. 00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:36.560 We need to open theme parks. 00:30:37.180 --> 00:30:38.680 And Phil's just lapping this up. 00:30:39.259 --> 00:30:44.700 And then at the height of his professional success, everything went wrong. 00:30:47.580 --> 00:30:51.040 His staff members started arguing amongst each other. 00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:55.259 Video sales, for some reason they couldn't explain, just suddenly stopped. 00:30:56.759 --> 00:31:00.380 He had to fire half his staff because he couldn't afford to keep them. 00:31:00.380 --> 00:31:09.300 And then the cherry on the top, one of the distributors for VeggieTales ends up suing the company. 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:12.500 The court finds in favor of the distributor. 00:31:13.040 --> 00:31:15.840 And Phil Fisher is left bankrupt. 00:31:16.300 --> 00:31:19.500 He has to sell VeggieTales Big Idea Productions. 00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:20.820 And he's bankrupt. 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:22.360 I am done. 00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:26.139 His whole world comes crashing down. 00:31:26.279 --> 00:31:27.659 I'm a failure. 00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:28.979 And he writes. 00:31:29.019 --> 00:31:29.879 He writes this in a book. 00:31:29.959 --> 00:31:30.599 You can get it. 00:31:30.659 --> 00:31:32.159 I'm busy reading it at the moment. 00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:33.699 It's called Me, Myself, and Bob. 00:31:34.559 --> 00:31:38.939 So, and then he says, kind of my whole world just came crashing down. 00:31:39.120 --> 00:31:42.759 And the hardest part was all because I thought, God, I'm doing this for you. 00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:43.920 I'm doing this for you. 00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:45.860 And why did you allow this to happen? 00:31:47.539 --> 00:31:58.880 But five years later, Phil Fisher gets the call to go back to the very place he failed and to animate again. 00:31:58.880 --> 00:32:05.140 And this time, he calls his company Jellyfish Labs. 00:32:05.760 --> 00:32:09.040 And I kind of, kind of funny that he chose Jellyfish. 00:32:09.120 --> 00:32:20.420 And he says, a jellyfish cannot choose its own course, but it is dependent on the current to take it where it needs to go. 00:32:20.420 --> 00:32:28.320 And he said, you know, I had been trusting in my own talent, my own ability to run a business, to animate. 00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:32.380 And I was like a big barracuda fighting against the current. 00:32:32.539 --> 00:32:33.720 I'm going to do it my way. 00:32:35.240 --> 00:32:40.560 Then I realized what I really need to be is a jellyfish. 00:32:41.060 --> 00:32:41.980 And he says this now. 00:32:41.980 --> 00:32:57.779 I get my form, my purpose, only when I'm suspended in the current of God's will and trusting that God's will and ability will carry me where he wants to go. 00:32:58.920 --> 00:33:06.720 And Jellyfish Labs, what they make now, it's still in animation and they use some puppets, is something called What's in the Bible. 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:10.480 And we actually use it when your kids are out and they're watching a video. 00:33:11.100 --> 00:33:11.960 That's what they're using. 00:33:12.059 --> 00:33:13.440 They're using Phil Fisher's videos. 00:33:13.660 --> 00:33:20.740 And Phil says, he goes, he literally takes the kids right from Genesis all the way through to Revelation. 00:33:20.940 --> 00:33:28.740 And he said, it's so much deeper, so much richer what he's doing now than he could have ever imagined with VeggieTales. 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:37.819 But he's learned to trust God, his ability, his promises, rather than his own. 00:33:41.660 --> 00:33:54.940 Moses, when he sees his Hebrew brothers and sisters in trouble, he believes he can save them. 00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:58.319 He alone can get them out of the mess. 00:33:58.740 --> 00:33:59.599 That they're in. 00:33:59.660 --> 00:34:00.519 And you know what? 00:34:01.980 --> 00:34:03.839 Sometimes we do the same thing. 00:34:05.380 --> 00:34:13.239 We trust in our own ability, our own strength to save ourselves. 00:34:14.320 --> 00:34:22.360 And the truth of that is it's as hopeless as a Hebrew slave in Egypt, surrounded by the most fortified nation, looking out. 00:34:23.079 --> 00:34:23.920 You're going nowhere. 00:34:24.780 --> 00:34:28.420 No matter how hard you try, you are still a slave in Egypt. 00:34:28.739 --> 00:34:31.939 But here's the good news. 00:34:33.519 --> 00:34:42.899 It is possible if we trust in God's ability and God's power as a redeemer. 00:34:42.900 --> 00:34:50.539 You know, I said to you that Exodus was the greatest escape story of all time. 00:34:51.880 --> 00:34:52.940 It's actually, it's number two. 00:34:53.820 --> 00:34:55.160 Because get this, right? 00:34:55.420 --> 00:35:00.860 At the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus takes Peter, John, and James with him. 00:35:00.920 --> 00:35:06.240 They go up this mountain and it says that they're talking with Moses and Elijah. 00:35:06.239 --> 00:35:08.559 And this is what they're discussing. 00:35:08.759 --> 00:35:17.079 It says they spoke about his exodus, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 00:35:17.279 --> 00:35:19.179 That's Luke 9, by the way. 00:35:19.179 --> 00:35:25.679 Jesus achieved the greatest rescue story of all time. 00:35:26.679 --> 00:35:35.519 The people in the land of Egypt, they're like, just rescue us from our slavery, of the things that hold us and just get us out of the suppressor. 00:35:35.519 --> 00:35:40.920 But God comes in as a redeemer and says, I don't only want to pull you out of Egypt. 00:35:41.039 --> 00:35:42.960 I want to put you in Canaan. 00:35:43.739 --> 00:35:46.179 I don't only want to save you from Pharaoh. 00:35:46.300 --> 00:35:49.039 I want to save you to God. 00:35:49.039 --> 00:35:51.420 Jesus comes along. 00:35:51.480 --> 00:35:52.000 He says, you know what? 00:35:52.039 --> 00:35:54.400 That's not the rescue you need. 00:35:54.559 --> 00:35:55.900 You need even a bigger rescue. 00:35:56.179 --> 00:35:58.559 You need a rescue from sin. 00:35:59.460 --> 00:36:03.960 But more than that, you need a rescue to holiness, to righteousness. 00:36:06.719 --> 00:36:09.099 I don't want to just save you from the mess you're in. 00:36:09.179 --> 00:36:12.940 I want to bring you into a relationship with God Almighty. 00:36:14.820 --> 00:36:17.699 You know, and we kind of, we want to be saved from Egypt. 00:36:17.699 --> 00:36:24.799 We want to be saved from the mess, the guilt, the secret things we think and do when we think no one's looking. 00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:27.779 But Jesus doesn't just stop there. 00:36:28.619 --> 00:36:30.519 So I don't just want to save you from that stuff. 00:36:30.599 --> 00:36:36.039 I want to bring you into a relationship with me. 00:36:38.279 --> 00:36:40.059 And God will do it. 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:44.139 God will keep his promises to do that. 00:36:44.139 --> 00:36:48.799 But it really comes down to where do we put our trust. 00:36:49.699 --> 00:36:59.159 And often it's a choice I make and that we can make where we choose to trust in our own ability, our own power, our own sense of security, 00:36:59.159 --> 00:37:05.279 rather than trusting in his power, his ability. 00:37:06.519 --> 00:37:09.799 And you know, God doesn't just save us once and then forget us. 00:37:10.079 --> 00:37:14.819 He continues to save us from everything if we will trust him. 00:37:15.859 --> 00:37:18.259 The key thing is he wants us to be a jellyfish. 00:37:18.260 --> 00:37:21.960 Will we let him? 00:37:23.740 --> 00:37:33.740 Will we allow ourselves to be jellyfish and moved along by God's current and trust him that he will lead us to the place he knows we need to be? 00:37:40.080 --> 00:37:40.720 Let's pray. 00:37:41.020 --> 00:37:42.060 Can I ask you to stand? 00:37:42.060 --> 00:37:42.100 Stand. 00:37:42.100 --> 00:37:42.140 Stand. 00:37:42.140 --> 00:37:42.180 Stand. 00:37:48.260 --> 00:37:54.360 Father, we come before the great I am this morning. 00:37:55.760 --> 00:37:57.760 We want to say thank you. 00:37:57.860 --> 00:38:04.480 We want to say amen to all your promises and to trust you as children. 00:38:04.620 --> 00:38:08.000 I thank you for your mercy and your grace. 00:38:08.000 --> 00:38:14.900 And you forgive us your forgiveness when we choose to trust in ourselves, trust in our own ability, 00:38:14.900 --> 00:38:23.599 rather than looking to our Father in heaven who so generously gives us everything that we would need. 00:38:24.860 --> 00:38:34.000 Lord, I pray that as we leave this place and we go out into the world, into our places of work, our universities, our schools, 00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:44.480 Lord God, that we will model something of the fact that God is a redeemer, that we will not rely on our own ability and strength to do it, 00:38:44.500 --> 00:38:48.860 but that we will point people to your saving grace. 00:38:49.699 --> 00:38:54.059 And Lord, more than just your saving grace, what it means to be in a relationship, 00:38:54.059 --> 00:38:58.280 what it means to know and trust God Almighty. 00:38:59.480 --> 00:39:01.099 Lord, thank you that you bless your people. 00:39:02.539 --> 00:39:02.840 Amen.