WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:07.980 Last week, we began a six-week series on Psalms 113 to 118, and we talked about how these 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:12.000 six psalms can be considered as one song, and they have been considered as one song, 00:00:12.419 --> 00:00:16.699 and it was sung during various feasts in Jesus' day, including the Passover. 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:19.539 The song is called the Hallel. 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:24.000 The word Hallel is the Hebrew word for praise. 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:31.420 This song is also called the Egyptian Hallel because of the psalm that we're looking at tonight. 00:00:32.359 --> 00:00:36.659 Psalm 114 rehearses God's redemption of Israel from Egypt. 00:00:37.620 --> 00:00:42.260 Like we said last week, these psalms would have been the last songs that Jesus sang 00:00:42.260 --> 00:00:47.900 with his disciples together before his trial and his death. 00:00:47.899 --> 00:00:58.019 Let's orient ourselves into that moment when they would have been singing the Egyptian Hallel 00:00:58.019 --> 00:01:03.079 by looking at what the author and theologian N.T. Wright says. 00:01:03.159 --> 00:01:08.859 He points out that Jesus had sung these psalms all of his life, and he knew them by heart, 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:09.819 as well as disciples. 00:01:09.819 --> 00:01:18.399 And he says, what Jesus believed and understood about his own identity and vocation, 00:01:18.839 --> 00:01:23.339 he believed and understood within a psalm-shaped world. 00:01:23.859 --> 00:01:24.799 I love that. 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:27.079 Within a psalm-shaped world. 00:01:29.759 --> 00:01:35.679 Let's use this psalm to look at this chapter of Israel's story, the Exodus, 00:01:36.099 --> 00:01:38.819 and see how it's also Jesus' story. 00:01:39.819 --> 00:01:43.439 We're going to see it's our story as well. 00:01:44.479 --> 00:01:47.899 It's the story of Jesus, and it's our story as well. 00:01:48.299 --> 00:01:48.959 Let's pray. 00:01:50.639 --> 00:01:54.759 Father, we ask that you would illumine our hearts and our minds. 00:01:54.859 --> 00:01:56.919 We can't understand this without your help. 00:02:01.339 --> 00:02:08.099 May the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord. 00:02:08.099 --> 00:02:12.359 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:02:12.419 --> 00:02:12.620 Amen. 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:21.819 I'm until a couple years ago, whenever somebody asked me the question, what do you do? 00:02:21.859 --> 00:02:24.079 I always enjoyed saying, I'm a musician. 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:29.000 Because I thought they would think, oh, maybe he's the cool kind of musician. 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:35.199 Unless they plumbed just a little deep, and then they realized, not quite. 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:41.400 I was the front man of an Irish folk band in rural Florida. 00:02:41.400 --> 00:02:48.000 And we had some fun songs. 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:57.939 One of my favorite ones was a poem by Robert Burns called Scots Wahey, or Scots Who Have. 00:02:57.939 --> 00:03:02.020 And the lyrics go like this. 00:03:02.259 --> 00:03:05.039 Scots who have with Wallace bled. 00:03:05.579 --> 00:03:08.060 Scots whom Bruce has often led. 00:03:08.359 --> 00:03:10.900 Welcome to your gory bed, or to victory. 00:03:12.379 --> 00:03:14.139 Lay the proud usurpers low. 00:03:14.300 --> 00:03:16.360 Tyrants fall in every foe. 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:18.479 Liberties in every blow. 00:03:18.599 --> 00:03:19.699 Let us do or die. 00:03:19.699 --> 00:03:24.659 The poem is written about the Battle of Bannockburn. 00:03:24.979 --> 00:03:28.219 It was a decisive battle in Scotland's first war of independence. 00:03:29.459 --> 00:03:35.759 Robert Burns imagined it being spoken by Robert the Bruce as he leads his soldiers into battle. 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:43.699 Robert the Bruce led the Scottish forces against a much larger English army and secured victory. 00:03:43.699 --> 00:03:56.759 Not only did the victory lead, eventually, to Scottish independence, but one could say that that victory, that battle, defined the Scots as a people. 00:03:57.339 --> 00:04:01.179 An event defined the Scots as a people. 00:04:03.159 --> 00:04:11.679 Another song that I know, because I'm a band geek and some other band geeks might know, the song Chester, written by William Billings. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:13.439 It goes like this. 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:17.319 Let tyrants shake their iron rod, and slavery clank for galling chains. 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:18.560 We fear them not. 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:19.600 We trust in God. 00:04:19.980 --> 00:04:21.720 No England's God forever reigns. 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:23.680 Very similar to Robert Burns' poem. 00:04:24.400 --> 00:04:27.379 This song was about the American War of Independence. 00:04:28.220 --> 00:04:34.519 And one could argue that the American War of Independence defined the Americans as a people. 00:04:34.519 --> 00:04:43.159 Our psalm today, Psalm 114, is a song that also celebrates a great deed. 00:04:43.659 --> 00:04:46.419 For 400 years, the nation of Israel had lived in Egypt. 00:04:46.719 --> 00:04:50.299 And while in Egypt, they had become enslaved and were treated brutally. 00:04:51.740 --> 00:04:57.079 But God led his people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, dwelt with Israel in the wilderness, 00:04:57.719 --> 00:05:01.299 led her again through the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:10.520 And this song celebrates this victory, and it defines Israel as a people. 00:05:10.740 --> 00:05:16.720 The Exodus defines or defined the nation of Israel as a people. 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:19.480 What about the New Testament people of God? 00:05:19.540 --> 00:05:20.240 What about the church? 00:05:20.580 --> 00:05:21.220 What about us? 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:23.660 What defines us as a people? 00:05:23.660 --> 00:05:32.040 I'll answer that question a little later, but let's look first at what the psalm says about the Exodus. 00:05:32.880 --> 00:05:35.940 And in particular, what it says about Israel's deliverer. 00:05:36.380 --> 00:05:40.860 We're going to look at God's presence, God's power, and his care. 00:05:41.200 --> 00:05:46.540 We're going to see God's presence, his power, and his care. 00:05:46.940 --> 00:05:48.360 Let's look first at his presence. 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:50.340 Verses 1 and 2 says, 00:05:50.819 --> 00:06:13.300 The Exodus event represents one chapter in a much larger story about God's presence. 00:06:13.300 --> 00:06:18.740 In the very first chapters of the Bible, we read of God creating the heavens and the earth. 00:06:21.220 --> 00:06:27.000 Those people who understand the world of the ancient Near East and its literature, 00:06:29.100 --> 00:06:33.120 they read this description of the creation of the earth. 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:39.480 These people tell us that this is communicating that God was creating a temple. 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:45.400 God was creating a temple when he created the earth. 00:06:45.660 --> 00:06:51.240 And in this temple, as one would expect, God sets up an image of himself. 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:54.780 And this image is human beings. 00:06:56.379 --> 00:07:01.860 Human beings would reflect his image, bring to bear his creativity in the world, 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:04.420 and to reflect back his praises. 00:07:04.420 --> 00:07:11.660 In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had an intimate fellowship with God. 00:07:11.840 --> 00:07:13.860 They enjoyed his presence. 00:07:13.960 --> 00:07:16.259 But when they rebelled, that fellowship was severed. 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:20.400 Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, and God's project was spoiled. 00:07:21.300 --> 00:07:23.139 But God would resurrect his project. 00:07:23.460 --> 00:07:27.220 He chose Abraham and made a covenant with him and his descendants 00:07:27.220 --> 00:07:29.879 to be a blessing to all the families of the earth. 00:07:29.879 --> 00:07:35.899 And though the plan would seem to derail while Israel was in slavery, Abraham's descendants, 00:07:37.420 --> 00:07:41.379 God raises up a leader, Moses, and brings him out of Egypt. 00:07:41.899 --> 00:07:44.139 God himself accompanies them on this journey, 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:48.939 first as a cloud by day and as a pillar of fire by night. 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:54.079 And after he leads them through the Red Sea, Israel creates a tabernacle. 00:07:54.079 --> 00:08:01.579 A tabernacle is an intricately constructed tent or complex tents. 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:07.419 And it functioned as a portable temple. 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:16.379 God's glory, we read, rests on the tabernacle. 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:20.439 And God is present among his people. 00:08:20.719 --> 00:08:22.579 He's close to his people. 00:08:22.579 --> 00:08:24.399 He's there. He's near. 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:28.219 This act of condescension is an act of grace. 00:08:28.740 --> 00:08:32.279 With God's presence comes safety and protection. 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:37.220 It's a place where his glory is revealed and his judgments unveiled with power. 00:08:38.079 --> 00:08:41.340 That power goes with God's people as they cross the River Jordan 00:08:41.340 --> 00:08:44.480 into the land they've been promised to inherit. 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:47.319 They had crossed through the Red Sea into the wilderness, 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:49.560 and from the wilderness, 40 years later, 00:08:50.180 --> 00:08:52.440 they pass into the Promised Land. 00:08:52.440 --> 00:08:57.640 It's the second thing we're going to see in this psalm. 00:08:58.420 --> 00:08:59.180 God's power. 00:08:59.500 --> 00:09:01.840 It's so poetically described, isn't it? 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:04.080 What ails you, O sea, that you flee? 00:09:04.220 --> 00:09:06.080 O Jordan, that you turn back? 00:09:06.300 --> 00:09:08.360 O mountains, that you skip like rams? 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:10.160 O hills like lambs? 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:15.480 It would be easy to reduce this to trash-talking nature. 00:09:16.919 --> 00:09:20.459 But something bigger is at play here, which we need to keep in mind. 00:09:21.159 --> 00:09:24.939 Fast forward from the Exodus to Jesus' day, 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:31.259 the moment that the disciples and the rest of the nation of Israel 00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:35.220 are praying these psalms during the Passover meal. 00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:39.480 We find the people of Israel under Roman rule 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:43.200 in a huge empire surrounded by different worldviews. 00:09:43.379 --> 00:09:47.300 Now, one of these worldviews would be called Epicureanism, 00:09:47.820 --> 00:09:51.200 which basically says that if there is a God 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:55.519 or if there are gods, then they're a long way off, 00:09:55.580 --> 00:09:59.139 and they don't interfere with us in the material world. 00:09:59.480 --> 00:10:00.700 And that should sound familiar 00:10:00.700 --> 00:10:03.600 because that worldview is still around to this day, 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:04.560 and it's very prevalent. 00:10:05.220 --> 00:10:07.420 But the Jews of Jesus' day held a different view, 00:10:07.620 --> 00:10:10.200 that creation is permeable. 00:10:11.139 --> 00:10:15.120 And that sphere of God and the sphere of man, 00:10:16.019 --> 00:10:19.480 they mutually overlap by design. 00:10:20.340 --> 00:10:22.160 And because of the permeability, 00:10:22.860 --> 00:10:27.700 God can act and work in and through created things. 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:30.580 We share this worldview too, and that's why we pray, right? 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:34.780 As Jews would enact the story of their redemption from Egypt 00:10:34.780 --> 00:10:36.840 in celebrating the Passover meal 00:10:36.840 --> 00:10:38.759 and in singing psalms like this one, 00:10:39.180 --> 00:10:41.740 they wouldn't just be celebrating a past event 00:10:41.740 --> 00:10:44.520 which displayed God's power, 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:49.280 but they would be declaring trust in God 00:10:49.280 --> 00:10:52.000 to act again in power, 00:10:52.100 --> 00:10:54.820 to show that power again, 00:10:54.820 --> 00:10:56.879 to bring his presence back to Jerusalem. 00:10:58.620 --> 00:11:01.160 God uses his power not just to defeat his enemies, 00:11:01.300 --> 00:11:02.460 but to care for his people. 00:11:02.560 --> 00:11:04.220 We've looked at God's presence, his power, 00:11:04.280 --> 00:11:05.020 and now his care. 00:11:05.420 --> 00:11:07.320 Last week we talked about God stooping, 00:11:07.420 --> 00:11:09.940 caring for the poor and for the barren woman. 00:11:09.940 --> 00:11:12.900 Here, in verses 7 and 8, 00:11:15.520 --> 00:11:17.820 the psalm relays an event from the Exodus 00:11:17.820 --> 00:11:21.740 where God stooped to care for his people 00:11:21.740 --> 00:11:23.960 who were thirsty and desperate. 00:11:24.380 --> 00:11:26.240 He turns the rock into a pool of water, 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:29.380 the flint into a spring of water. 00:11:30.740 --> 00:11:33.160 I mentioned last week how my family went on a hike 00:11:33.160 --> 00:11:36.420 about a month ago in New Hampshire, 00:11:37.260 --> 00:11:39.360 three and a half miles up, three and a half miles down, 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:41.060 and my oldest three kids nailed it. 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:42.019 My youngest did not. 00:11:42.659 --> 00:11:45.019 He went up great, 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:46.840 but he was too tired to go down. 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:47.500 He kept falling. 00:11:48.860 --> 00:11:51.480 So I had to carry him a lot of the way down, 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:54.360 which was really kind of tiring work. 00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:55.700 He's a big four-year-old. 00:11:56.980 --> 00:11:59.300 But I loved it. 00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:01.820 I wouldn't have traded it for anything. 00:12:03.180 --> 00:12:05.720 Just to carry his tired body, 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:07.820 his head slumped forward, 00:12:07.820 --> 00:12:09.280 onto my shoulder, 00:12:09.420 --> 00:12:11.920 my cheek resting against his 00:12:11.920 --> 00:12:14.120 as we trudge down the mountain. 00:12:14.620 --> 00:12:16.879 It felt intimate. 00:12:17.040 --> 00:12:18.780 I felt a connection with my son. 00:12:18.900 --> 00:12:19.260 And I thought, 00:12:19.420 --> 00:12:22.879 this is probably the closest I'll ever come 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:24.760 to experiencing the intimacy 00:12:24.760 --> 00:12:28.460 that a mother probably shares with her child 00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:30.740 as she nurses him. 00:12:30.740 --> 00:12:36.799 I won't experience that myself, 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:40.180 but this is the kind of intimacy 00:12:40.180 --> 00:12:42.639 a mother has with her child. 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:47.100 I can only imagine the intimacy 00:12:47.100 --> 00:12:48.360 that occurs between them. 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:52.600 The mother fully present to her baby, 00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:56.080 giving the baby what he needs to survive. 00:12:56.080 --> 00:12:58.759 And this is how I read verses 7 and 8. 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:03.220 God, he's fully and intimately present, 00:13:03.379 --> 00:13:07.520 using his power to feed and sustain his people. 00:13:11.420 --> 00:13:12.400 See, in this psalm, 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:15.200 God is powerful and glorious, 00:13:16.020 --> 00:13:17.280 and he also stoops, 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:18.800 and he draws near, 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:20.560 and he cares for the weak. 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:24.500 So if this psalm celebrates the event 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:26.359 that defined the Old Testament people of God, 00:13:26.439 --> 00:13:28.419 then what defines the New Testament people of God? 00:13:28.479 --> 00:13:30.119 This is the question I posed earlier. 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:31.459 What defines the church? 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:33.259 Well, I would say it's the same thing. 00:13:33.579 --> 00:13:34.579 It's the exodus. 00:13:35.099 --> 00:13:37.119 It might be a surprise to some of you. 00:13:37.439 --> 00:13:38.019 You might be thinking, 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:38.659 we're Christians. 00:13:39.179 --> 00:13:41.919 Wouldn't the thing that defines us 00:13:41.919 --> 00:13:43.439 be the death and burial 00:13:43.439 --> 00:13:47.019 and resurrection of Jesus Christ? 00:13:47.099 --> 00:13:47.679 And I would say, 00:13:48.099 --> 00:13:48.859 yes, you and I, 00:13:48.919 --> 00:13:49.599 we're both right. 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:52.159 We're talking about the same thing. 00:13:52.940 --> 00:13:55.159 I say it because for over a thousand years, 00:13:55.259 --> 00:13:55.779 every year, 00:13:56.040 --> 00:13:57.820 God's people have been celebrating 00:13:57.820 --> 00:13:59.120 the Passover meal, 00:13:59.300 --> 00:14:01.879 reenacting God's mighty act of deliverance. 00:14:02.580 --> 00:14:04.920 All four Gospels make very clear 00:14:04.920 --> 00:14:07.700 that Jesus chose the Passover celebration 00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:11.159 as the moment of his decisive action. 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:13.080 The Passover celebration 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:15.240 is Jesus' own grid 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:18.279 for interpreting his actions 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:20.579 and the events that would follow. 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:24.620 He is the fulfillment of the exodus. 00:14:25.879 --> 00:14:29.079 Jesus is the fulfillment of the exodus. 00:14:30.059 --> 00:14:31.459 Through Jesus' own death, 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:32.679 human beings are rescued 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:35.120 from the bondage of sin and death. 00:14:35.339 --> 00:14:36.319 And through his resurrection, 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:38.399 they are brought into eternal life. 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:41.179 So let's look at the three things we discussed. 00:14:41.319 --> 00:14:42.879 Presence, power, and care. 00:14:43.319 --> 00:14:45.500 God's presence did return 00:14:45.500 --> 00:14:46.699 as his people had hoped. 00:14:47.779 --> 00:14:48.779 John tells us this. 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:49.740 The Gospel of John. 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:50.480 It says that, 00:14:50.480 --> 00:15:01.019 Do you want to know God? 00:15:01.019 --> 00:15:02.180 Look on Jesus. 00:15:02.420 --> 00:15:03.980 God, the creator of the world, 00:15:04.300 --> 00:15:10.180 who made his presence known as a cloud by day 00:15:10.180 --> 00:15:13.139 and a pillar of fire by night, 00:15:13.300 --> 00:15:14.279 became man. 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:16.079 And there are four eyewitness accounts 00:15:16.079 --> 00:15:17.279 of the things he did. 00:15:17.459 --> 00:15:18.639 We don't have to wonder 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:20.039 about who God is. 00:15:21.379 --> 00:15:22.459 We can just look at Jesus. 00:15:25.939 --> 00:15:27.240 And he came with power. 00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:29.740 Jesus came with power. 00:15:31.740 --> 00:15:32.839 The exodus is the sign 00:15:32.839 --> 00:15:34.240 of what God's power can do, 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:35.759 and it's also a pledge 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:37.579 that it will happen again 00:15:37.579 --> 00:15:40.279 when his people need it. 00:15:40.279 --> 00:15:44.259 Do you wish to end poverty in this world? 00:15:47.459 --> 00:15:48.939 God, in his power, 00:15:49.839 --> 00:15:51.419 is determined to deal with it. 00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:53.120 Do you cry out over injustice? 00:15:55.500 --> 00:15:58.579 God and his power in Jesus Christ 00:15:58.579 --> 00:16:02.039 will one day set all things to right. 00:16:02.500 --> 00:16:04.519 Do you grieve over sickness 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:06.639 and the death that surrounds you? 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:10.639 God and his power in Jesus Christ 00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:12.379 will one day make all things new. 00:16:12.860 --> 00:16:14.460 Do you find yourself powerless 00:16:14.460 --> 00:16:16.080 against a besetting sin, 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:17.299 addiction, 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:20.039 an unforgiving spirit, 00:16:20.799 --> 00:16:21.699 self-loathing? 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:24.360 God and his power, 00:16:24.759 --> 00:16:25.679 through Jesus Christ, 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:27.419 who began a good work in you, 00:16:27.699 --> 00:16:29.439 will be faithful to complete that. 00:16:32.819 --> 00:16:35.799 But God doesn't do it from afar. 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:38.600 He does it from a place 00:16:38.600 --> 00:16:40.000 of intimacy and care. 00:16:41.179 --> 00:16:42.779 After Jesus ascended to heaven, 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:44.519 he sent his Holy Spirit, 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:47.799 and so now God's presence 00:16:47.799 --> 00:16:51.340 is manifested in us. 00:16:51.460 --> 00:16:52.100 We, the church, 00:16:52.379 --> 00:16:52.980 are his temple 00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:54.220 and are empowered to fulfill 00:16:54.220 --> 00:16:56.220 the work God originally gave humanity, 00:16:56.439 --> 00:16:57.740 to reflect his image, 00:16:57.980 --> 00:16:59.439 to bring to bear in this world 00:16:59.439 --> 00:17:00.360 God's creativity 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:02.740 and now his restorative activity, 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:05.160 and to reflect back his praise. 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:06.360 And more intimately, 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:07.800 each of us as individuals 00:17:07.800 --> 00:17:09.220 are indwelt with his spirit. 00:17:10.320 --> 00:17:11.800 His spirit sustains us, 00:17:12.180 --> 00:17:12.940 supports us, 00:17:13.320 --> 00:17:13.960 comforts us, 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:15.680 tells that we are God's children. 00:17:16.040 --> 00:17:17.000 He prays for us. 00:17:17.460 --> 00:17:19.380 You cannot pray without God himself 00:17:19.380 --> 00:17:20.680 praying with you, 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:22.060 so who will refuse you 00:17:22.060 --> 00:17:23.259 if the one who grants 00:17:23.259 --> 00:17:24.779 is the same as the one who asks? 00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:25.779 God's children. 00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:26.099 God's children. 00:17:26.099 --> 00:17:26.779 God's children. 00:17:26.779 --> 00:17:27.779 God's children. 00:17:27.779 --> 00:17:28.180 God's children. 00:17:28.180 --> 00:17:28.779 God's children. 00:17:28.779 --> 00:17:29.279 God's children. 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:29.779 God's children. 00:17:29.779 --> 00:17:31.500 I'd like to draw your attention quickly 00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:32.639 to two implications 00:17:32.639 --> 00:17:39.539 of God being present in us 00:17:39.539 --> 00:17:43.779 and understanding this 00:17:43.779 --> 00:17:44.940 in the context of the Exodus. 00:17:45.099 --> 00:17:45.700 The first is, 00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:47.039 if you are in Christ, 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:49.059 if you have been baptized in him 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:50.279 and believe in him 00:17:50.279 --> 00:17:52.579 as the one who rescues you, 00:17:52.579 --> 00:17:54.179 then the God who created the universe 00:17:54.179 --> 00:17:54.960 dwells in you. 00:17:56.119 --> 00:17:58.139 God is in you. 00:17:58.220 --> 00:17:58.439 Therefore, 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:01.179 whoever you encounter at work tomorrow 00:18:01.179 --> 00:18:05.759 is encountering God in you. 00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:08.439 And so that is the most important meeting 00:18:08.439 --> 00:18:09.299 they will have all day. 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:15.079 It is an interaction that can save them, 00:18:15.419 --> 00:18:16.240 can heal them, 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:17.539 can encourage them. 00:18:19.699 --> 00:18:21.559 It's an implication of what it means 00:18:21.559 --> 00:18:23.899 to bear God's image. 00:18:26.919 --> 00:18:28.879 The second implication is this. 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:30.220 We talked last week 00:18:30.220 --> 00:18:31.740 about the dark night of the soul, 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:33.399 how to understand that 00:18:33.399 --> 00:18:35.659 when we go through a dark night. 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:38.039 We talked about 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:39.539 how we can understand 00:18:39.539 --> 00:18:40.559 the dark night of the soul 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:44.220 better if we understand our story 00:18:44.220 --> 00:18:46.359 as it unites to the story of Christ. 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:49.339 Even further, 00:18:49.339 --> 00:18:50.500 with this psalm, 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:51.659 we see that we can understand 00:18:51.659 --> 00:18:52.740 the dark night of our soul 00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:54.779 as it unites to the life of Christ 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:56.099 in the context 00:18:56.099 --> 00:18:57.720 of the Exodus, 00:18:57.939 --> 00:18:58.779 God's great work 00:18:58.779 --> 00:19:00.319 of leading his people 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:01.139 out of the wilderness. 00:19:04.899 --> 00:19:07.339 I'm going to quote 00:19:07.339 --> 00:19:09.740 a counselor and professor of counseling. 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:10.959 His name is Chuck DeGroote. 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:16.779 He writes this. 00:19:17.340 --> 00:19:18.620 In the gospel, 00:19:18.980 --> 00:19:20.220 and this is what we've been talking about, 00:19:20.759 --> 00:19:21.279 the gospel, 00:19:21.740 --> 00:19:23.600 we participate in Christ's life, 00:19:24.299 --> 00:19:25.620 that we're transformed 00:19:25.620 --> 00:19:27.360 in and through the indwelling 00:19:27.360 --> 00:19:28.620 of our suffering God. 00:19:29.360 --> 00:19:30.720 Dark nights aren't optional. 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:32.640 They aren't a punishment for sin. 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:35.079 No, the dark night is the pathway, 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:38.019 that wilderness way 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:39.799 for those who long to enjoy 00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:40.879 union with Christ. 00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:43.839 Our experience of emptiness, 00:19:45.059 --> 00:19:46.559 incredible though it may sound, 00:19:46.740 --> 00:19:48.799 indicates the powerful work of God 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:50.220 hidden deep within us. 00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:52.339 Our despair testifies to hope, 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:54.519 and our dying prepares us 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:55.559 for spiritual growth. 00:19:56.359 --> 00:19:58.039 The dark night forms us 00:19:58.039 --> 00:19:59.819 in ways that set us free 00:19:59.819 --> 00:20:00.980 to love boldly 00:20:00.980 --> 00:20:02.559 and compassionately. 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:06.079 On the night that Jesus' friend 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:06.879 betrayed him, 00:20:07.139 --> 00:20:07.899 he took bread, 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:08.839 blessed it, 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:10.039 broke it, 00:20:10.259 --> 00:20:10.960 and then gave it. 00:20:11.139 --> 00:20:11.899 And in the same way, 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:13.059 Jesus takes us, 00:20:13.480 --> 00:20:14.259 blesses us, 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:15.359 breaks us, 00:20:15.419 --> 00:20:17.000 and gives us to a hurting world 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:18.740 to be God's very presence. 00:20:20.339 --> 00:20:22.220 The dark night is a key part 00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:23.539 of God's missional purpose 00:20:23.539 --> 00:20:24.179 in the world. 00:20:26.139 --> 00:20:28.779 God redeems our broken stories, 00:20:30.339 --> 00:20:32.500 weaving new and better ones, 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:34.779 which paint pictures of redemption 00:20:34.779 --> 00:20:37.000 and flourishing in our broken world. 00:20:37.339 --> 00:20:38.379 Our honest lives 00:20:38.379 --> 00:20:40.639 become the great signposts 00:20:40.639 --> 00:20:41.839 in a broken world. 00:20:42.419 --> 00:20:44.059 Redemption is here. 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:51.980 Gabriel Del Grande 00:20:51.980 --> 00:20:53.599 is an Italian filmmaker, 00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:55.759 and of course I'm not pronouncing that right. 00:20:56.019 --> 00:20:57.119 He found himself 00:20:57.119 --> 00:20:58.319 with four activists 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:00.500 in the city of Aleppo, Syria. 00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:02.500 In September of 2013, 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:04.799 during some serious fighting, 00:21:06.119 --> 00:21:07.200 a gunman took aim 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:07.859 at each of them 00:21:07.859 --> 00:21:10.160 every time they looked out the windows. 00:21:10.900 --> 00:21:11.900 And then it got worse. 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:13.960 The front line of the battle 00:21:13.960 --> 00:21:15.900 merged with where they were. 00:21:16.660 --> 00:21:17.819 They found themselves 00:21:17.819 --> 00:21:18.779 on the front line, 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:20.019 and then a young boy 00:21:20.019 --> 00:21:21.039 comes to their door. 00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:22.579 The young boy is holding 00:21:22.579 --> 00:21:23.819 a butcher's knife 00:21:23.819 --> 00:21:25.059 and a wedding dress. 00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:27.919 The boy cuts the dress 00:21:27.919 --> 00:21:28.779 into strips, 00:21:29.779 --> 00:21:31.200 urges them to tie a strip 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:32.859 tightly around their heads, 00:21:33.059 --> 00:21:34.440 and then to follow him. 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:35.960 And they didn't know why, 00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:37.379 but they had no other choice. 00:21:37.819 --> 00:21:39.019 So they mustered up the courage 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:40.619 and followed this boy 00:21:40.619 --> 00:21:41.799 through a battlefield. 00:21:42.460 --> 00:21:43.000 Bullets 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:45.339 whizzing and whirring 00:21:45.339 --> 00:21:46.200 over their heads. 00:21:47.639 --> 00:21:48.200 And finally, 00:21:48.299 --> 00:21:49.179 they made it to safety. 00:21:49.659 --> 00:21:50.599 They realized later 00:21:50.599 --> 00:21:52.119 that white was the signal 00:21:52.119 --> 00:21:55.099 of the Free Syrian Army's snipers. 00:21:56.299 --> 00:21:57.740 It was a wedding dress 00:21:57.740 --> 00:21:59.159 that protected them, 00:21:59.980 --> 00:22:00.819 that covered them. 00:22:02.059 --> 00:22:02.759 A wedding dress 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:03.799 saved their lives. 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:06.500 A month after his return to Milan, 00:22:06.719 --> 00:22:08.339 he and some close friends 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:09.699 met a Syrian refugee 00:22:09.699 --> 00:22:11.199 trying to make his way 00:22:11.199 --> 00:22:12.539 to Sweden. 00:22:13.679 --> 00:22:15.039 Met them in a train station. 00:22:15.619 --> 00:22:16.579 Asked Gabriel and his friends, 00:22:16.699 --> 00:22:17.240 do you know when 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:18.419 the next train to Sweden leaves? 00:22:18.599 --> 00:22:18.859 They said, 00:22:18.859 --> 00:22:19.819 well, there is no train 00:22:19.819 --> 00:22:21.000 that goes to Sweden from Italy. 00:22:22.939 --> 00:22:23.879 But he knew a couple 00:22:23.879 --> 00:22:25.639 other Syrian and Palestinian refugees 00:22:25.639 --> 00:22:26.599 trying to make their way 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:27.059 to Sweden. 00:22:27.479 --> 00:22:27.919 In Sweden, 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:29.119 they had family 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:29.959 and friends 00:22:29.959 --> 00:22:30.519 and connections. 00:22:31.719 --> 00:22:34.839 They saw safety there. 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:37.699 So, Gabriel had an idea. 00:22:38.419 --> 00:22:39.119 He said to his friends, 00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:41.059 you know who the border guards 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:42.539 would never stop? 00:22:43.199 --> 00:22:44.259 A wedding party. 00:22:45.579 --> 00:22:46.459 The police would never 00:22:46.459 --> 00:22:47.579 check a bride's documents. 00:22:48.859 --> 00:22:50.879 So they bought some nice clothes. 00:22:52.500 --> 00:22:53.959 They did all the arrangements. 00:22:54.379 --> 00:22:55.959 They did a lot of planning logistics. 00:22:56.539 --> 00:22:57.779 They bought a wedding dress. 00:22:59.139 --> 00:23:00.159 And the refugees 00:23:00.159 --> 00:23:01.279 and those helping them 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:02.119 all dressed up 00:23:02.119 --> 00:23:03.759 as bride and groom 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:05.419 and as the wedding party. 00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:07.759 And they filmed their journey. 00:23:07.859 --> 00:23:09.059 It's a documentary you can watch. 00:23:09.500 --> 00:23:10.039 I don't know how, 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:11.359 but it's out there. 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:15.119 It's called 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:16.000 On the Bride's Side. 00:23:17.319 --> 00:23:18.799 They filmed their journey 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:20.979 as they made their exodus 00:23:20.979 --> 00:23:22.619 through Europe. 00:23:25.559 --> 00:23:26.759 A wedding dress 00:23:26.759 --> 00:23:28.259 had saved Gabriel's life. 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:30.219 And now it would be 00:23:30.219 --> 00:23:31.519 a wedding dress 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:33.159 that would save these refugees 00:23:33.159 --> 00:23:34.159 in their exodus 00:23:34.159 --> 00:23:35.039 from Italy 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:36.459 through Europe. 00:23:36.460 --> 00:23:38.920 Now the Bible speaks 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:39.779 about his union 00:23:39.779 --> 00:23:40.539 with his people, 00:23:41.259 --> 00:23:42.160 about God coming 00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:42.840 to his people 00:23:42.840 --> 00:23:44.940 as a wedding. 00:23:46.180 --> 00:23:47.940 We are the bride of Christ. 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:51.180 And he gives us covering 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:53.019 which saves us. 00:23:54.900 --> 00:23:55.900 And that covering, 00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:57.120 we experience forgiveness 00:23:57.120 --> 00:23:59.460 of sins. 00:23:59.460 --> 00:24:01.920 And he leads us, 00:24:02.539 --> 00:24:03.180 his bride, 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:04.720 from bondage 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:05.559 into freedom. 00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:07.960 And every week, 00:24:08.360 --> 00:24:08.759 here, 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:09.980 at this table, 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:12.079 we have a feast 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:13.259 looking forward 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:15.319 to a great wedding supper 00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:16.259 that we will share 00:24:16.259 --> 00:24:17.059 in his kingdom. 00:24:18.299 --> 00:24:19.840 And in this meal, 00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:20.559 this bread, 00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:22.259 and this wine, 00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:24.100 spheres of heaven 00:24:24.100 --> 00:24:26.039 and earth 00:24:26.039 --> 00:24:27.380 overlap. 00:24:27.380 --> 00:24:29.660 and he feeds 00:24:29.660 --> 00:24:30.640 our souls 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:31.820 through the bread 00:24:31.820 --> 00:24:32.280 and the wine 00:24:32.280 --> 00:24:33.620 and transforms us 00:24:33.620 --> 00:24:34.700 more and more 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:35.220 into the image 00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:35.680 of his son. 00:24:37.220 --> 00:24:37.980 An image 00:24:37.980 --> 00:24:38.860 we reflect 00:24:38.860 --> 00:24:39.920 to a world 00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:41.740 that he is making new 00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:42.900 once again. 00:24:43.760 --> 00:24:44.860 In the name of the Father 00:24:44.860 --> 00:24:45.660 and of the Son 00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:46.720 and of the Holy Spirit. 00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:47.340 Amen. 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:48.640 Let's pray. 00:24:55.840 --> 00:24:56.320 God, 00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:57.360 thank you for saving 00:24:57.359 --> 00:24:57.779 us, 00:24:58.359 --> 00:24:59.500 for redeeming us, 00:24:59.959 --> 00:25:01.099 for rescuing us, 00:25:01.459 --> 00:25:02.519 for you saw us 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:04.599 and you pitied us 00:25:04.599 --> 00:25:06.659 and you lifted us 00:25:06.659 --> 00:25:07.519 out of bondage 00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:08.899 and sin 00:25:08.899 --> 00:25:11.159 and brought us 00:25:11.159 --> 00:25:12.459 into your kingdom, 00:25:13.399 --> 00:25:14.539 into freedom, 00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:19.099 into a life of joy 00:25:19.099 --> 00:25:19.699 with you 00:25:19.699 --> 00:25:21.439 as our king. 00:25:21.440 --> 00:25:27.080 you weren't content 00:25:27.080 --> 00:25:28.160 merely to do that, 00:25:28.299 --> 00:25:28.440 Lord, 00:25:28.500 --> 00:25:29.220 and so you gave us 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:30.080 your Holy Spirit 00:25:30.080 --> 00:25:30.980 that we could 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:31.740 know you 00:25:31.740 --> 00:25:34.200 intimately. 00:25:36.080 --> 00:25:36.740 So God, 00:25:36.779 --> 00:25:37.940 as we make our way 00:25:37.940 --> 00:25:38.820 down the aisle 00:25:38.820 --> 00:25:40.420 to take the bread 00:25:40.420 --> 00:25:41.680 and the wine, 00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:42.600 would you communicate 00:25:42.600 --> 00:25:43.019 to us 00:25:43.019 --> 00:25:43.700 your grace? 00:25:44.360 --> 00:25:44.880 Tell us 00:25:44.880 --> 00:25:46.240 we are your children. 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:46.840 Tell us 00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:47.839 our sins 00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:48.399 are forgiven. 00:25:48.579 --> 00:25:49.059 Tell us 00:25:49.059 --> 00:25:49.859 it's not 00:25:49.859 --> 00:25:51.079 anything that we 00:25:51.079 --> 00:25:51.579 have done 00:25:51.579 --> 00:25:54.079 that has gained 00:25:54.079 --> 00:25:55.459 us this favor, 00:25:55.559 --> 00:25:55.939 but it's what 00:25:55.939 --> 00:25:56.740 your Son has done. 00:25:56.740 --> 00:26:01.559 thank you for rescuing us. 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:04.460 And now, 00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:05.299 transform us. 00:26:06.380 --> 00:26:07.900 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:26:08.660 --> 00:26:08.920 Amen.