WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.980 Most of you, I think you know, Pastor Matthew is on vacation. 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:07.080 And just to reemphasize what Jim Franks mentioned last week, that's normal. 00:00:07.560 --> 00:00:12.800 It might be new for our church, but it's normal for a pastor to be released to vacation. 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:15.919 He's enjoying his time with his family in Maryland for the next couple weeks. 00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:18.260 And instead, we have Reverend Jeff Kreisel. 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:20.320 He's also a familiar face. 00:00:20.379 --> 00:00:21.679 You've seen him a few times before. 00:00:21.859 --> 00:00:26.019 And I think enough times that we can bestow on you the title Friend of Cheyenne Mountain. 00:00:26.339 --> 00:00:27.160 So I'm going to do that today. 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:30.039 I bestow upon you the title Friend of Cheyenne Mountain. 00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:33.880 And many of you have heard from Jeff before, and he's going to be preaching for us today. 00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:37.960 His other title is RUF Campus Minister at the U.S. Air Force Academy. 00:00:38.620 --> 00:00:41.039 So he's been ministering there for almost two years now? 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:44.379 Almost three years now, yeah, as the campus minister. 00:00:44.900 --> 00:00:46.560 So that's a ministry that needs your prayers. 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:48.519 It's a ministry that's growing by leaps and bounds. 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:54.200 But there are a lot of cadets struggling with a lot of college things, normal and abnormal things. 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:57.440 And they have a campus minister in Jeff that needs your prayers. 00:00:57.660 --> 00:01:09.939 He also has a sign-up sheet in the back where you can get on his email list and some swag, some reminders of RUF serving invisibly to us way down here in the south, but serving faithfully at the Air Force Academy. 00:01:10.040 --> 00:01:12.840 So I'd like to invite Jeff Kreisel up to preach for us this morning. 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:13.740 Thanks, brother. 00:01:13.739 --> 00:01:18.479 Hi, well, good morning. 00:01:20.619 --> 00:01:21.979 My name is Jeff Kreisel. 00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:27.640 I'm excited to be here again with you this morning, bringing God's Word to God's people. 00:01:28.060 --> 00:01:33.619 This is the second year in a row where I've had the privilege of bringing God's Word to you on the first Sunday of the year. 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:35.259 So that's kind of a neat thing. 00:01:36.099 --> 00:01:42.679 All right, so this morning we are going to return to the book of Exodus, and we're going to see what life looks like after justification. 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:51.000 Okay, we're going to see what life looks like after crossing the Red Sea, after crossing over from death to life. 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:59.420 And as we looked at last week, as I mentioned, life after justification does not get easier, right? 00:01:59.540 --> 00:02:01.100 But it does get better. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:04.180 It's a huge thing that we need to remember. 00:02:04.180 --> 00:02:16.200 Our lives may become more difficult on the justification side of the sea, but our lives also become more joyful and more content and more satisfying and more purposeful. 00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:24.800 After crossing the Red Sea, the first place that God leads the Israelites is into the wilderness. 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:27.100 He takes them into the wilderness. 00:02:27.740 --> 00:02:30.260 It is a scary wilderness. 00:02:30.480 --> 00:02:31.159 It's unpredictable. 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:33.639 It is a harsh wilderness. 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:41.219 It is a wilderness where their faith would be tested and stretched through a number of various trials. 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:47.159 He takes them into a wilderness that would appear barren and inhospitable. 00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:52.519 But it's also a wilderness where God would continually meet their needs. 00:02:53.539 --> 00:02:57.819 God takes them into a wilderness that would expose their doubts and their fears. 00:02:57.819 --> 00:03:04.539 But it's also a wilderness where God would comfort and assure his people during the hardest of times. 00:03:05.579 --> 00:03:14.159 God takes them into a wilderness in which God himself would sometimes seem absent and distant and removed. 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:20.120 But it's also a wilderness where God would walk with his people every step of the journey. 00:03:20.120 --> 00:03:21.120 He takes them into a wilderness. 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:25.120 He takes them into a wilderness that would sometimes feel purposeless. 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:33.980 But it's also a wilderness where God has written purpose into every word of their sanctifying stories. 00:03:34.840 --> 00:03:38.140 Are you familiar with this wilderness? 00:03:38.139 --> 00:03:42.019 Have you walked through this wilderness? 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:45.219 Have you walked through the valley of the shadow of death? 00:03:45.219 --> 00:03:51.819 If you have crossed over, if you have gone through those baptizing waters of the Red Sea, 00:03:51.939 --> 00:03:57.979 and you are now on the justification side of salvation, I know that you have. 00:03:58.959 --> 00:04:04.019 I am sure that you know that this wilderness often isn't pleasant. 00:04:04.020 --> 00:04:11.540 I am also sure that there have been times during your wilderness wanderings, 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:15.840 maybe even this morning, that you have forgotten the purpose of the wilderness. 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:19.939 You have forgotten why God has placed you here. 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:24.019 And you have also probably, during some point in your wilderness wanderings, 00:04:24.860 --> 00:04:27.220 you have forgotten where you are headed. 00:04:27.220 --> 00:04:34.660 We're not going to forget this morning, we are going to remember where God is leading us. 00:04:36.260 --> 00:04:42.720 So buckle up, because we are heading into the sanctifying wilderness of the Christian life this morning. 00:04:43.300 --> 00:04:48.620 So I invite you all to please stand for the reading of God's holy, inerrant, and inspired word 00:04:48.620 --> 00:04:50.760 that is sufficient for our salvation. 00:04:51.240 --> 00:04:56.000 We'll be looking at Exodus 16, verses 1 through 4, 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.000 then we're going to bounce and we're going to look at 13 through 21. 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:06.600 They set out from Elam, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, 00:05:06.699 --> 00:05:10.779 which is between Elam and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month, 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:13.420 after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 00:05:13.980 --> 00:05:19.060 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:21.220 And the people of Israel said to them, 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:25.180 Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:28.520 when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full. 00:05:28.940 --> 00:05:32.920 For you have brought us into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. 00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:35.160 Then the Lord said to Moses, 00:05:35.320 --> 00:05:38.020 Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you. 00:05:38.500 --> 00:05:41.740 And the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, 00:05:42.040 --> 00:05:45.240 that I may test them whether they will walk in my law or not. 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:48.500 In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp, 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:51.660 and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 00:05:51.980 --> 00:05:56.680 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine flake-like thing, 00:05:56.860 --> 00:05:58.319 fine as frost on the ground. 00:05:58.900 --> 00:06:01.480 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:02.180 What is it? 00:06:02.900 --> 00:06:04.620 For they did not know what it was. 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:06.019 And Moses said to them, 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:08.540 It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:10.639 This is what the Lord has commanded. 00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:13.500 Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can. 00:06:13.500 --> 00:06:19.319 You shall each take an omer according to the number of persons that each of you has in his tent. 00:06:19.699 --> 00:06:21.300 And the people of Israel did so. 00:06:21.420 --> 00:06:23.379 They gathered some more, some less. 00:06:23.939 --> 00:06:25.480 But when they measured it with an omer, 00:06:25.620 --> 00:06:27.720 whoever gathered much had nothing left over, 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:30.060 and whoever gathered little had no lack. 00:06:30.579 --> 00:06:32.800 Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 00:06:33.500 --> 00:06:34.680 And Moses said to them, 00:06:34.779 --> 00:06:38.959 Let no one leave any of it over till the morning. 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:40.779 But they did not listen to Moses. 00:06:40.779 --> 00:06:44.459 Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. 00:06:45.099 --> 00:06:46.599 And Moses was angry with them. 00:06:47.359 --> 00:06:49.139 Morning by morning they gathered it, 00:06:49.459 --> 00:06:50.919 each as much as he could eat. 00:06:51.299 --> 00:06:53.159 But when the sun grew hot, it melted. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:55.839 This is the word of our Lord. 00:06:55.899 --> 00:06:56.739 Let me pray for us. 00:06:57.619 --> 00:06:58.279 Heavenly Father, 00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:01.559 you are the author and sustainer of our faith. 00:07:01.619 --> 00:07:03.239 And we pray this morning 00:07:03.239 --> 00:07:06.559 that you would show us what we do not see, 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:09.399 that you would teach us what we do not know, 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:12.180 that you would convict us where we need to be convicted, 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:15.540 and encourage us where we need to be encouraged. 00:07:15.860 --> 00:07:16.600 We pray, Lord, 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:19.300 that you would use my finite words 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:21.160 for your infinite and holy purposes, 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:23.680 for our good and your glory. 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:25.100 In Christ's name we pray. 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:25.399 Amen. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:27.340 You may be seated. 00:07:27.340 --> 00:07:27.459 Amen. 00:07:29.639 --> 00:07:30.620 No, I put a, 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:33.879 I put some cover on this. 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:34.160 Nice. 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:36.740 All right, so I want us to, 00:07:36.939 --> 00:07:39.380 I want us to see that the wilderness 00:07:39.380 --> 00:07:42.040 shows us three things in this passage. 00:07:43.840 --> 00:07:45.820 The first thing the wilderness shows us 00:07:45.820 --> 00:07:47.700 is that it exposes our fearfulness. 00:07:48.620 --> 00:07:48.880 All right? 00:07:49.260 --> 00:07:50.860 Our text begins two months 00:07:50.860 --> 00:07:53.280 after the Israelites have crossed the Red Sea. 00:07:54.140 --> 00:07:54.400 Okay? 00:07:54.840 --> 00:07:57.140 After 400 years in Egypt, 00:07:57.600 --> 00:08:00.260 in much of that time they were slaves to Pharaoh, 00:08:00.379 --> 00:08:01.740 they were finally free. 00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:05.259 They were finally under God's rule and reign 00:08:05.259 --> 00:08:06.180 instead of Pharaoh. 00:08:06.460 --> 00:08:09.319 They are now following God by day and by night 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:10.860 through this wilderness. 00:08:11.900 --> 00:08:14.540 And they are headed to the promised land. 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:16.460 They are headed to a land 00:08:16.460 --> 00:08:18.139 that is flowing with milk and honey. 00:08:18.280 --> 00:08:20.240 They're headed to the land of Canaan. 00:08:20.819 --> 00:08:23.220 The picture here is that it is essentially 00:08:23.220 --> 00:08:24.879 like a paradise on earth 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:27.040 where God dwells and meets with his people. 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:29.240 He lives with them forever. 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:30.879 They're headed there. 00:08:31.220 --> 00:08:32.700 They're headed to the promised land. 00:08:33.139 --> 00:08:34.299 But they're not there yet. 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:35.120 They're in the wilderness. 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:36.120 And in the wilderness, 00:08:36.360 --> 00:08:37.919 the Israelites have discovered 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:41.159 that God's decisive defeat of Pharaoh 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:43.340 has not solved all of their problems. 00:08:44.899 --> 00:08:47.600 In fact, God's decisive defeat of Pharaoh 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:50.019 has introduced a new set of problems 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:51.720 and a new set of challenges. 00:08:52.139 --> 00:08:55.139 Challenges that would expose their fear, 00:08:55.879 --> 00:08:57.779 their most deep-rooted fears. 00:08:57.779 --> 00:09:00.799 And these fears would cause them 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:03.500 to forget their redemption story. 00:09:04.379 --> 00:09:06.240 They would start to long to return 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:07.639 to slavery in Egypt. 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:10.199 You see, like us, the Israelites, 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:12.419 they feared a whole lot of things. 00:09:12.980 --> 00:09:13.179 Okay? 00:09:13.740 --> 00:09:15.039 Our fears are not unique. 00:09:16.179 --> 00:09:16.459 Okay? 00:09:16.519 --> 00:09:18.100 They feared what we fear. 00:09:18.199 --> 00:09:19.139 They feared failure. 00:09:19.919 --> 00:09:21.559 They feared isolation. 00:09:21.860 --> 00:09:23.220 They feared being alone. 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:25.600 They feared the unknown. 00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:29.540 They feared being uncomfortable and insecure. 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:31.879 They feared being unproductive. 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:35.080 They feared a lack of purpose. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:38.700 They feared feeling shame and guilt. 00:09:38.940 --> 00:09:41.600 But more than anything else, like us, 00:09:41.899 --> 00:09:43.779 they feared death. 00:09:44.779 --> 00:09:46.080 The great enemy. 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:47.840 Not just their great enemy, 00:09:48.040 --> 00:09:49.560 our great enemy. 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:52.079 Like the Israelites, 00:09:52.599 --> 00:09:55.359 we fear death more than anything else. 00:09:55.639 --> 00:09:58.059 And that is what they feared here in Exodus 16. 00:09:58.579 --> 00:10:00.319 This is a universal condition. 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:01.419 All right? 00:10:01.979 --> 00:10:04.059 It doesn't matter what you believe. 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:06.079 Everybody fears death. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:07.660 I was reading last night 00:10:07.660 --> 00:10:10.840 just kind of some strategies you can employ 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:13.200 to combat your fear of death. 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:14.300 And the number one thing 00:10:14.300 --> 00:10:15.660 was to convince yourself 00:10:15.660 --> 00:10:17.259 that death is a natural occurrence. 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:20.820 But how is that working out for these people? 00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:23.480 They still fear it. 00:10:23.680 --> 00:10:24.680 You can't avoid it. 00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:26.980 You can't run away from the fear of death 00:10:26.980 --> 00:10:28.180 because it isn't natural. 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:29.620 And we all know that it's not natural. 00:10:29.680 --> 00:10:30.620 There's something wrong. 00:10:30.700 --> 00:10:31.720 It is the great enemy. 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:35.020 We try to escape from it, though. 00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:36.879 A few years ago, 00:10:36.900 --> 00:10:38.040 I read a story of a guy 00:10:38.040 --> 00:10:40.759 who built this beautiful playground 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:41.920 right next to a cemetery. 00:10:43.400 --> 00:10:46.020 And it's an amazing park, 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:47.840 and nobody brought their kids 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:49.879 to play at this amazing playground. 00:10:50.400 --> 00:10:51.740 And he was kind of stumped. 00:10:51.780 --> 00:10:53.020 He was trying to figure out why it is 00:10:53.020 --> 00:10:54.280 that no one was bringing their children 00:10:54.280 --> 00:10:55.259 to play at this playground. 00:10:55.680 --> 00:10:57.420 So he thought outside the box. 00:10:57.520 --> 00:10:58.860 He's like, maybe it's the cemetery. 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:00.680 So he built a fence 00:11:00.680 --> 00:11:04.340 to block people from seeing the cemetery. 00:11:04.980 --> 00:11:06.020 He put the fence up. 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:07.280 And the next day, 00:11:07.379 --> 00:11:09.100 the playground was just filled 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:10.280 with laughing children. 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:13.400 We wanted to block it out 00:11:13.400 --> 00:11:14.259 because we're uncomfortable 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:15.639 with just being reminded 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:17.860 that death is in our future. 00:11:18.160 --> 00:11:20.780 We don't like to grapple with death 00:11:20.780 --> 00:11:22.960 and the questions surrounding death. 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:24.980 But we try all sorts of things. 00:11:25.060 --> 00:11:26.300 Just look at what our culture does 00:11:26.300 --> 00:11:27.600 to combat their fear of death. 00:11:27.860 --> 00:11:29.920 People get plastic surgery, right, 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:32.040 late in their life 00:11:32.039 --> 00:11:34.219 because they see the aging process, 00:11:34.219 --> 00:11:36.039 and they want to combat that 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:38.779 because they know what aging brings. 00:11:40.779 --> 00:11:42.480 A lot of people play video games 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:44.299 that are really horrific, right? 00:11:44.299 --> 00:11:46.740 They make light of death. 00:11:47.019 --> 00:11:48.079 They dumb it down. 00:11:48.219 --> 00:11:51.079 They try to view death through a screen, 00:11:51.620 --> 00:11:53.479 try to separate themselves from it 00:11:53.479 --> 00:11:55.879 because they can't handle the reality of it. 00:11:57.939 --> 00:12:00.599 Something that's new in our day and age 00:12:00.599 --> 00:12:02.339 is that when a loved one dies, 00:12:02.699 --> 00:12:04.039 we've started to have celebration 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:05.139 of life ceremonies 00:12:05.139 --> 00:12:08.539 instead of mournful funerals 00:12:08.539 --> 00:12:11.419 where we grieve the loss of our loved one 00:12:11.419 --> 00:12:12.860 in a healthy way. 00:12:14.379 --> 00:12:15.980 We don't want to touch death 00:12:15.980 --> 00:12:17.139 with a 10-foot pole. 00:12:18.179 --> 00:12:19.579 The same is true with the Israelites. 00:12:19.819 --> 00:12:22.199 You see, the irony in Exodus 16 00:12:22.199 --> 00:12:24.659 is that the same Israelites 00:12:24.659 --> 00:12:28.179 who were so afraid of death 00:12:28.179 --> 00:12:30.500 were redeemed. 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:33.179 They were delivered from death's grip 00:12:33.179 --> 00:12:36.860 just two months earlier, right? 00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:39.580 The Egyptians were about to kill them. 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:41.300 The Israelites were surrounded. 00:12:41.539 --> 00:12:43.800 They had nowhere to run and hide. 00:12:44.560 --> 00:12:46.220 Death was all but certain, 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:49.360 but then God saves them from death's grip, 00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:52.539 and then the Egyptians perish in the sea instead. 00:12:54.419 --> 00:12:56.580 The threat to their lives 00:12:56.580 --> 00:12:58.639 had already been defeated. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:02.440 You see the irony here? 00:13:02.600 --> 00:13:04.700 It's an irony that is not unique to them. 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:06.980 This irony pervades our lives as well. 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:07.660 In the wilderness, 00:13:08.020 --> 00:13:10.420 our greatest fears are exposed, 00:13:11.800 --> 00:13:14.080 especially our fear of death. 00:13:14.300 --> 00:13:16.740 The wilderness, it causes us to forget 00:13:16.740 --> 00:13:19.200 that God has already delivered us 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:20.280 from death's grip. 00:13:21.740 --> 00:13:22.840 In the wilderness, 00:13:23.060 --> 00:13:25.700 we forget that Jesus already went through death 00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:27.460 in order to defeat death 00:13:27.460 --> 00:13:30.080 so that we wouldn't be afraid of death. 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:32.800 In the wilderness, 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:36.139 we forget that Jesus has already redeemed us. 00:13:37.820 --> 00:13:38.759 We're free. 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:42.840 We don't have to be slaves of fear anymore. 00:13:44.120 --> 00:13:45.139 In the wilderness, 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:47.860 the Israelites' fears were exposed. 00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:51.720 They didn't know if they would survive this wilderness. 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:56.240 They didn't know if the God who delivered them from Egypt 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:59.600 would also meet their physical daily needs 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:02.040 here in this harsh wilderness. 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:03.259 And I'll be honest, 00:14:03.420 --> 00:14:04.040 it's hard to, 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:05.420 you can't blame them, right? 00:14:07.340 --> 00:14:10.100 They're in a really rough condition, right? 00:14:10.540 --> 00:14:16.240 I have been to some Middle Eastern deserts in my time. 00:14:17.100 --> 00:14:18.200 For many months, 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:20.440 I've lived in Iraq and Afghanistan 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:21.980 and Qatar and Kuwait. 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:24.659 And I can tell you all from my experience, 00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:28.180 these deserts are not hospitable places, right? 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:29.740 They're dry. 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:30.680 They are hot. 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:34.200 The terrain is rocky and it's really rough. 00:14:34.779 --> 00:14:37.000 It is not a hospitable place to be. 00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:38.899 And the Israelites have been wandering 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:40.620 in this barren desert, 00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:44.580 which is what wilderness is actually translated to mean 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:45.139 in Hebrew. 00:14:45.300 --> 00:14:46.259 It means desert. 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:48.020 They've been wandering in this desert 00:14:48.020 --> 00:14:49.420 for two months now 00:14:49.420 --> 00:14:51.759 and they have many mouths to feed. 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:54.180 And they have very little food 00:14:54.180 --> 00:14:55.960 and water and shelter 00:14:55.960 --> 00:14:58.680 and they have enemies surrounding them still. 00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:02.800 This is a fearful place to be, right? 00:15:06.520 --> 00:15:08.160 Why would God do such a thing? 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:09.400 Why would he lead them here? 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:14.259 Why wouldn't God just skip the whole wilderness 00:15:14.259 --> 00:15:15.899 wandering stage 00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:18.340 and like teleport his people 00:15:18.340 --> 00:15:21.720 from the Red Sea to the Promised Land? 00:15:21.720 --> 00:15:24.279 Why wouldn't he just rapture them up? 00:15:26.539 --> 00:15:28.500 There is purpose to the wilderness. 00:15:29.700 --> 00:15:31.659 God purposefully led the Israelites 00:15:31.659 --> 00:15:32.679 into the wilderness 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:36.100 in order to expose and defeat their fears 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:38.379 by strengthening their faith. 00:15:38.379 --> 00:15:40.019 Okay? 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:43.379 He's going to expose and defeat their fear 00:15:43.379 --> 00:15:45.279 by strengthening their faith 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:46.480 in the midst of the wilderness. 00:15:47.179 --> 00:15:47.679 My friends, 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:50.019 while the wilderness is always painful, 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:51.600 it is always purposeful. 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:55.860 God understood that it would be easier 00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:57.759 to get the Israelites out of Egypt 00:15:57.759 --> 00:15:59.799 than to get Egypt out of the Israelites. 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:01.080 Right? 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:05.980 The Israelites have been in Egypt for 400 years. 00:16:06.200 --> 00:16:08.259 They have adopted their idolatries. 00:16:08.540 --> 00:16:10.160 They have adopted their idols. 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:13.680 They have adopted all of these sins. 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:17.279 God understood this. 00:16:17.319 --> 00:16:18.699 And so he uses the wilderness 00:16:18.699 --> 00:16:20.120 to sanctify them, 00:16:20.239 --> 00:16:23.139 to rid them of these lifelong idolatries 00:16:23.139 --> 00:16:24.419 that they had picked up 00:16:24.419 --> 00:16:28.120 over the course of 400 years in Egypt. 00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:29.519 You see, 00:16:29.599 --> 00:16:31.620 while the Israelites were no longer 00:16:31.620 --> 00:16:33.559 under the rule of Pharaoh, 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:35.879 they were still living as if they were. 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:39.799 They didn't really believe 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:40.679 that they were free. 00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:43.379 They didn't really believe 00:16:43.379 --> 00:16:44.559 that God was with them, 00:16:44.700 --> 00:16:45.759 that God was for them, 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:46.820 that he loved them more 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:48.500 than they could fathom. 00:16:48.580 --> 00:16:49.960 They didn't really believe 00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:51.779 that they could live by faith 00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:53.039 instead of by fear. 00:16:55.460 --> 00:16:56.419 What about you? 00:16:58.700 --> 00:17:00.840 Do you believe that God is with you 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:02.500 and that he loves you more 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:03.480 than you can fathom? 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:06.559 Truly, do you believe that? 00:17:08.099 --> 00:17:09.220 If you do, 00:17:09.799 --> 00:17:11.400 then why are you still living 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:12.799 like a slave to fear? 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:17.059 Do you believe that you are 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:18.960 who God says that you are? 00:17:19.640 --> 00:17:21.420 Do you believe truly 00:17:21.420 --> 00:17:24.660 that you are a beloved child of God? 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:27.759 If you do, 00:17:28.339 --> 00:17:30.120 then why are you still living 00:17:30.120 --> 00:17:31.059 like an orphan? 00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:35.259 When Moses and Aaron 00:17:35.259 --> 00:17:36.460 confronted Pharaoh 00:17:36.460 --> 00:17:37.839 for the first time, 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:39.079 do you remember 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:40.740 what God told Moses 00:17:40.740 --> 00:17:41.980 to say to Pharaoh? 00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:44.500 He told him to say this. 00:17:44.599 --> 00:17:44.900 He said, 00:17:45.299 --> 00:17:47.400 Israel is my firstborn son, 00:17:47.740 --> 00:17:48.860 and I say to you, 00:17:48.980 --> 00:17:50.039 let my son go 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:52.019 that he may serve me. 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:53.539 These are family terms 00:17:53.539 --> 00:17:54.480 that God is using. 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:56.059 He's describing himself 00:17:56.059 --> 00:17:57.019 as their father, 00:17:57.039 --> 00:17:58.680 and he is their child 00:17:58.680 --> 00:18:00.160 because they were, 00:18:00.299 --> 00:18:01.240 because of the covenant 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:02.640 that God made with Abraham. 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:04.140 The Israelites were 00:18:04.140 --> 00:18:06.620 God's covenant adopted children. 00:18:08.420 --> 00:18:10.120 God was their loving father, 00:18:10.120 --> 00:18:11.340 and he was with them, 00:18:11.380 --> 00:18:12.600 and he was for them, 00:18:12.680 --> 00:18:14.280 and if God was for them, 00:18:14.320 --> 00:18:15.580 who could be against them? 00:18:16.600 --> 00:18:18.060 If God was with them, 00:18:18.120 --> 00:18:19.160 what could they fear? 00:18:21.660 --> 00:18:22.220 Listen, 00:18:22.360 --> 00:18:23.800 in order to get Egypt 00:18:23.800 --> 00:18:24.860 out of you, 00:18:25.220 --> 00:18:27.460 in order to be free from fear, 00:18:27.940 --> 00:18:30.060 in order to be who you are, 00:18:30.059 --> 00:18:31.119 you have to remember 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:32.779 who God says that you are. 00:18:34.259 --> 00:18:35.259 You have to remember 00:18:35.259 --> 00:18:36.639 who God says that you are, 00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:38.000 and you aren't a slave, 00:18:38.339 --> 00:18:39.240 and you aren't an orphan. 00:18:40.099 --> 00:18:41.299 You're a child of God. 00:18:41.879 --> 00:18:43.159 Truly, you are. 00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:46.519 A few years ago, 00:18:46.539 --> 00:18:47.639 I came across a story 00:18:47.639 --> 00:18:49.399 of a young girl 00:18:49.399 --> 00:18:50.039 who was adopted 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:51.779 by this very loving 00:18:51.779 --> 00:18:52.759 Christian family, 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:55.879 and the home 00:18:55.879 --> 00:18:56.859 that she came from 00:18:56.859 --> 00:18:57.839 was really broken, 00:18:58.019 --> 00:18:58.859 and this poor girl 00:18:58.859 --> 00:18:59.579 was abused, 00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:00.579 both physically 00:19:00.579 --> 00:19:01.539 and emotionally, 00:19:01.539 --> 00:19:03.019 and she had deep 00:19:03.019 --> 00:19:04.039 external 00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:05.339 and internal 00:19:05.339 --> 00:19:06.680 scars and wounds. 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:08.160 Right? 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:09.099 And so, 00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:10.460 moving into a home 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:11.480 with a loving family 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:12.900 was not easy for her 00:19:12.900 --> 00:19:14.180 because she carried Egypt 00:19:14.180 --> 00:19:15.500 into that home, 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:17.740 and it also wasn't easy 00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:19.440 for her new parents. 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:21.860 Although she was legally 00:19:21.860 --> 00:19:22.660 their daughter, 00:19:23.259 --> 00:19:24.539 this girl did not treat 00:19:24.539 --> 00:19:25.460 her new parents 00:19:25.460 --> 00:19:26.500 as her parents. 00:19:27.220 --> 00:19:27.500 Instead, 00:19:27.620 --> 00:19:28.840 she was cold towards them, 00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:30.000 and she was full of fear 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:31.240 whenever they were around, 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:32.480 fearing that they would 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:33.259 do the same 00:19:33.259 --> 00:19:35.019 that her previous parents 00:19:35.019 --> 00:19:36.000 did to her. 00:19:37.500 --> 00:19:37.720 Well, 00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:38.340 over the course 00:19:38.340 --> 00:19:39.640 of the next year, 00:19:40.420 --> 00:19:41.740 this young girl 00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:43.240 was loved on 00:19:43.240 --> 00:19:44.120 by her parents, 00:19:44.180 --> 00:19:44.980 and her parents 00:19:44.980 --> 00:19:46.740 met her daily needs. 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:48.620 And over time, 00:19:48.619 --> 00:19:49.859 her heart began 00:19:49.859 --> 00:19:50.500 to soften. 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:51.699 It began to warm 00:19:51.699 --> 00:19:53.219 towards her new parents 00:19:53.219 --> 00:19:54.379 until one day, 00:19:54.459 --> 00:19:55.639 after multiple failed 00:19:55.639 --> 00:19:56.959 attempts to tie her shoe, 00:19:57.719 --> 00:19:58.599 she walks over 00:19:58.599 --> 00:19:59.679 to her father, 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:00.759 and for the first time 00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:01.299 in her life, 00:20:01.379 --> 00:20:01.759 she says, 00:20:01.899 --> 00:20:02.219 Daddy, 00:20:03.119 --> 00:20:04.699 will you help me 00:20:04.699 --> 00:20:05.419 tie my shoe? 00:20:06.939 --> 00:20:07.779 And he has tears 00:20:07.779 --> 00:20:09.000 streaking down his face, 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:09.519 and he says, 00:20:09.619 --> 00:20:09.979 Yes, 00:20:10.459 --> 00:20:11.959 I would love to. 00:20:13.459 --> 00:20:13.959 You see, 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:15.139 in this moment, 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:17.479 what was legally true 00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:19.839 had become practically true. 00:20:20.740 --> 00:20:21.779 She was already 00:20:21.779 --> 00:20:22.400 their daughter, 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:23.559 but she didn't fully 00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:25.339 understand or believe it, 00:20:25.500 --> 00:20:26.420 but now it had become 00:20:26.420 --> 00:20:27.539 practically true. 00:20:27.860 --> 00:20:28.620 That truth had been 00:20:28.620 --> 00:20:30.140 driven into her heart. 00:20:30.700 --> 00:20:31.579 It took a year 00:20:31.579 --> 00:20:32.299 in the wilderness 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:33.339 for her to realize 00:20:33.339 --> 00:20:34.620 that she was no longer 00:20:34.620 --> 00:20:36.200 a slave to fear, 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:37.220 that she was no longer 00:20:37.220 --> 00:20:37.720 an orphan, 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:40.940 but she was a daughter 00:20:40.940 --> 00:20:42.160 who was deeply loved. 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:45.720 According to J.I. Packer, 00:20:45.860 --> 00:20:46.340 the revelation 00:20:46.340 --> 00:20:47.660 to the believer 00:20:47.660 --> 00:20:49.420 that God is their father 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:50.259 is in a sense 00:20:50.259 --> 00:20:50.900 the climax 00:20:50.900 --> 00:20:52.360 of the entire Bible. 00:20:54.259 --> 00:20:54.980 I'm going to say 00:20:54.980 --> 00:20:55.540 that one again. 00:20:55.540 --> 00:20:56.600 The revelation 00:20:56.600 --> 00:20:58.180 to the believer 00:20:58.180 --> 00:20:59.880 that God is their father 00:20:59.880 --> 00:21:00.920 is in a sense 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:01.560 the climax 00:21:01.560 --> 00:21:03.340 of the entire Bible. 00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:06.140 When you understand 00:21:06.140 --> 00:21:07.120 and firmly believe 00:21:07.120 --> 00:21:08.580 that God is your loving father, 00:21:08.700 --> 00:21:09.900 that changes everything. 00:21:09.900 --> 00:21:11.900 Right? 00:21:12.660 --> 00:21:13.660 It changes everything. 00:21:14.040 --> 00:21:15.740 Being able to cry out, 00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:17.080 Abba, Father, 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:19.759 is at the heart 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:20.540 of Christianity. 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:22.640 And it is the truth 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:24.460 that must fight your fear 00:21:24.460 --> 00:21:25.960 in the wilderness. 00:21:27.120 --> 00:21:27.940 The second thing 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:29.180 the wilderness shows us 00:21:29.180 --> 00:21:30.580 is that it addresses 00:21:30.580 --> 00:21:32.019 our forgetfulness. 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:34.980 Our problem 00:21:34.980 --> 00:21:35.820 is like the Israelites. 00:21:36.019 --> 00:21:37.940 We are a very forgetful people. 00:21:39.900 --> 00:21:42.840 With the Israelites, 00:21:43.019 --> 00:21:44.280 God was visibly with them. 00:21:45.259 --> 00:21:46.720 He was visibly leading them 00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:47.820 by day and night 00:21:47.820 --> 00:21:48.519 through the wilderness. 00:21:51.360 --> 00:21:52.660 They had just witnessed 00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:53.480 God perform 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:55.240 ten miraculous plagues 00:21:55.240 --> 00:21:56.560 to deliver them 00:21:56.560 --> 00:21:57.800 from slavery in Egypt. 00:21:58.180 --> 00:21:59.200 They got to see that 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:00.160 with their own eyes. 00:22:00.660 --> 00:22:02.080 As we saw last week 00:22:02.080 --> 00:22:02.980 in Exodus 14, 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:04.500 the Israelites just walked 00:22:04.500 --> 00:22:05.420 through the Red Sea 00:22:05.420 --> 00:22:06.480 on dry ground. 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:10.380 But when hunger struck, 00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:11.160 they forgot 00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:12.599 their redemption story. 00:22:14.420 --> 00:22:16.360 It only took two months 00:22:16.360 --> 00:22:17.860 for spiritual amnesia 00:22:17.860 --> 00:22:18.559 to kick in. 00:22:19.880 --> 00:22:21.299 And they start to grumble 00:22:21.299 --> 00:22:22.120 and complain. 00:22:22.940 --> 00:22:24.019 And they start to long 00:22:24.019 --> 00:22:25.539 to return to Egypt 00:22:25.539 --> 00:22:26.500 of all places. 00:22:27.360 --> 00:22:28.460 And like I said last week, 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:30.019 they start to rewrite history. 00:22:30.299 --> 00:22:31.180 They keep doing this. 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:31.940 And they're going to do it 00:22:31.940 --> 00:22:32.799 over and over again 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:33.559 throughout the remainder 00:22:33.559 --> 00:22:34.160 of their time 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:34.660 in the wilderness. 00:22:34.660 --> 00:22:36.360 They rewrite history. 00:22:36.500 --> 00:22:37.540 Look at verse 3. 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:37.940 It says, 00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:38.720 they said, 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:39.400 back in Egypt, 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:40.860 we had meat pots. 00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:43.320 We had meat and bread. 00:22:43.420 --> 00:22:44.040 We had water. 00:22:44.120 --> 00:22:44.740 We had shelter. 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:45.660 We had everything 00:22:45.660 --> 00:22:46.880 that we could have needed 00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:47.940 and then some. 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:51.060 Which is not true. 00:22:52.779 --> 00:22:52.960 Right? 00:22:55.100 --> 00:22:55.940 They say, 00:22:56.120 --> 00:22:56.980 what have you done 00:22:56.980 --> 00:22:58.019 bringing us out here 00:22:58.019 --> 00:22:58.960 into the wilderness? 00:22:59.160 --> 00:22:59.720 Back then, 00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:00.360 back there, 00:23:00.440 --> 00:23:01.500 we had everything we needed. 00:23:01.600 --> 00:23:02.019 But here, 00:23:02.120 --> 00:23:03.160 we're barely surviving. 00:23:04.660 --> 00:23:06.840 And that's how 00:23:06.840 --> 00:23:08.259 the wilderness feels sometimes. 00:23:08.340 --> 00:23:08.980 It feels like 00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:09.980 we're barely surviving. 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:10.920 It feels like 00:23:10.920 --> 00:23:11.880 we're holding on 00:23:11.880 --> 00:23:12.759 by a thread. 00:23:13.320 --> 00:23:14.200 But the good news 00:23:14.200 --> 00:23:14.860 of the gospel 00:23:14.860 --> 00:23:16.220 is that that thread 00:23:16.220 --> 00:23:17.220 that we hold onto, 00:23:17.360 --> 00:23:18.519 it's indestructible. 00:23:19.180 --> 00:23:19.480 Right? 00:23:20.080 --> 00:23:21.600 It won't let us go. 00:23:24.340 --> 00:23:25.259 Their conditions 00:23:25.259 --> 00:23:25.980 in the wilderness 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:27.320 were very rough. 00:23:27.620 --> 00:23:28.460 I will conceive 00:23:28.460 --> 00:23:29.100 that point. 00:23:29.580 --> 00:23:29.840 Okay? 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:32.819 But they're acting 00:23:32.819 --> 00:23:33.799 as if the God 00:23:33.799 --> 00:23:34.579 who was with them 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:35.039 in Egypt 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:36.339 was not with them now. 00:23:37.859 --> 00:23:38.559 I was wondering, 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:38.799 like, 00:23:38.899 --> 00:23:40.099 how could they not 00:23:40.099 --> 00:23:40.980 trust God 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:41.859 after God 00:23:41.859 --> 00:23:43.379 just delivered them? 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:47.000 The amazing thing 00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:48.159 about Exodus 16 00:23:48.159 --> 00:23:49.279 is that even though 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:49.899 the Israelites 00:23:49.899 --> 00:23:50.599 were grumbling 00:23:50.599 --> 00:23:51.599 and complaining 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:52.220 and longing 00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:53.000 to go back 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:54.199 to slavery in Egypt, 00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:55.839 God still gets down 00:23:55.839 --> 00:23:56.819 and ties their shoes. 00:23:56.819 --> 00:24:00.599 He knew their physical needs 00:24:00.599 --> 00:24:01.720 and so He meets 00:24:01.720 --> 00:24:02.759 their physical needs. 00:24:04.839 --> 00:24:05.740 God knew 00:24:05.740 --> 00:24:07.119 that their fragile faith 00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:08.220 needed a daily 00:24:08.220 --> 00:24:09.319 divine reminder 00:24:09.319 --> 00:24:12.259 of their redemptive story. 00:24:13.579 --> 00:24:14.720 They needed to be reminded 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:16.220 every single day 00:24:16.220 --> 00:24:17.539 of God's faithfulness 00:24:17.539 --> 00:24:18.319 towards them. 00:24:19.439 --> 00:24:20.579 And so He sends bread 00:24:20.579 --> 00:24:21.220 from heaven 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:22.679 every single day. 00:24:22.779 --> 00:24:22.939 You see, 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:24.099 the bread wasn't only 00:24:24.099 --> 00:24:25.099 to feed them, 00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:26.720 it was to remind them 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:28.500 of who they were 00:24:28.500 --> 00:24:29.940 and where they were headed. 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:35.519 I love this. 00:24:35.680 --> 00:24:36.620 This is often overlooked. 00:24:38.559 --> 00:24:39.860 God doesn't just give them 00:24:39.860 --> 00:24:40.500 enough bread 00:24:40.500 --> 00:24:41.559 to survive the wilderness. 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:42.559 He gives them 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:44.620 plenty. 00:24:45.059 --> 00:24:45.620 He gives them 00:24:45.620 --> 00:24:46.839 an abundance of bread. 00:24:47.299 --> 00:24:48.100 In verse 18, 00:24:48.200 --> 00:24:48.519 it says, 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:49.519 each of them gathered 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:50.980 as much as He could eat. 00:24:53.740 --> 00:24:55.059 Their stomachs 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:55.860 were full 00:24:55.859 --> 00:24:55.879 people, 00:24:56.579 --> 00:24:58.579 which was a rare experience, 00:24:58.699 --> 00:24:59.539 a rare thing 00:24:59.539 --> 00:25:00.259 in the world 00:25:00.259 --> 00:25:01.379 back then and today. 00:25:02.719 --> 00:25:04.519 They were feasting 00:25:04.519 --> 00:25:05.339 in the wilderness. 00:25:05.819 --> 00:25:06.339 This was like 00:25:06.339 --> 00:25:07.939 an all-you-can-eat buffet. 00:25:09.019 --> 00:25:10.039 God was not 00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:11.579 stingy. 00:25:13.159 --> 00:25:14.039 And God also, 00:25:14.199 --> 00:25:15.339 He wasn't just giving them 00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:16.959 like this buffet 00:25:16.959 --> 00:25:17.979 of tasteless, 00:25:18.139 --> 00:25:18.839 stale bread, 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:21.059 like the bare minimum. 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:22.579 He was giving them bread 00:25:22.579 --> 00:25:23.919 that tasted like honey, 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:26.299 which was the delicacy 00:25:26.299 --> 00:25:26.819 of the day. 00:25:26.899 --> 00:25:27.839 He was giving them 00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:30.059 bread that tasted 00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:31.299 like heaven. 00:25:33.299 --> 00:25:34.759 And you see 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:35.759 what God is doing here. 00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:36.419 He's giving them 00:25:36.419 --> 00:25:37.939 this honey bread feast 00:25:37.939 --> 00:25:39.460 in order to give them 00:25:39.460 --> 00:25:40.339 a taste, 00:25:40.539 --> 00:25:41.359 a foretaste 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:43.019 of what they will 00:25:43.019 --> 00:25:44.159 one day experience, 00:25:44.279 --> 00:25:45.199 what they will enjoy. 00:25:45.419 --> 00:25:46.079 He's giving them 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:46.899 a foretaste 00:25:46.899 --> 00:25:47.960 of the place 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:48.980 where they were headed, 00:25:49.139 --> 00:25:50.000 and that is to a place 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:51.079 flowing with milk 00:25:51.079 --> 00:25:52.220 and honey. 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:54.160 He's giving them 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:56.259 a taste of paradise 00:25:56.259 --> 00:25:57.599 in the wilderness. 00:25:59.079 --> 00:25:59.380 Listen, 00:25:59.480 --> 00:26:00.079 to survive 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:00.720 the wilderness, 00:26:01.339 --> 00:26:02.460 you have to remember 00:26:02.460 --> 00:26:04.039 where you are headed, 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:05.539 that you are headed 00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:07.079 towards the promised land. 00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:09.019 You have to remember 00:26:09.019 --> 00:26:09.819 that life, 00:26:10.619 --> 00:26:11.319 this life, 00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:12.740 isn't the promised land. 00:26:13.700 --> 00:26:14.940 You have to remember 00:26:14.940 --> 00:26:16.500 that your dream job 00:26:16.500 --> 00:26:17.660 isn't the promised land, 00:26:18.180 --> 00:26:19.680 that your dream vacation 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:20.980 isn't the promised land, 00:26:22.019 --> 00:26:23.039 that successful children 00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:24.220 isn't the promised land, 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:27.900 that retirement 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:29.160 isn't the promised land. 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:30.580 Right? 00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:32.680 We have to remember 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:33.519 that this world 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:35.279 is not the promised land. 00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:35.980 This world, 00:26:36.100 --> 00:26:36.580 my friends, 00:26:36.620 --> 00:26:38.580 is a spiritual wilderness 00:26:38.580 --> 00:26:40.480 where we get to taste 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:41.460 heaven now, 00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:42.880 but it's not yet 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:44.240 been fully consummated. 00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:46.140 It is a painful wilderness, 00:26:46.340 --> 00:26:48.120 yet it is a purposeful wilderness. 00:26:48.119 --> 00:26:50.779 And thankfully, 00:26:50.939 --> 00:26:51.859 God knows exactly 00:26:51.859 --> 00:26:52.799 what He is doing 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:53.619 in this wilderness. 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:56.119 And so we can trust Him 00:26:56.119 --> 00:26:57.399 throughout it. 00:26:57.699 --> 00:26:58.599 He has placed us 00:26:58.599 --> 00:26:59.500 in this wilderness 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:01.079 to sanctify our souls, 00:27:01.199 --> 00:27:02.779 to free us from fear, 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:04.219 to instill in us 00:27:04.219 --> 00:27:05.479 a dependence on Him, 00:27:05.679 --> 00:27:07.219 and to prepare our hearts 00:27:07.219 --> 00:27:08.919 for the real promised land. 00:27:11.099 --> 00:27:12.059 There's a story 00:27:12.059 --> 00:27:13.139 about Michelangelo. 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:15.059 I don't know how true it is, 00:27:15.119 --> 00:27:15.979 but it's a fun story. 00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:17.400 He was asked about 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:18.059 the difficulties 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:19.240 that he faced 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:20.259 while sculpting 00:27:20.259 --> 00:27:21.039 his masterpiece, 00:27:21.559 --> 00:27:21.819 David. 00:27:22.980 --> 00:27:23.799 And supposedly, 00:27:24.059 --> 00:27:25.360 Michelangelo replied, 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:27.079 you just chip away 00:27:27.079 --> 00:27:28.140 the stone 00:27:28.140 --> 00:27:29.460 that doesn't look like David. 00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:32.319 I love this 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:33.140 because that's what 00:27:33.140 --> 00:27:34.500 the wilderness is for us. 00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:35.660 In the wilderness, 00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:36.900 our fears, 00:27:37.180 --> 00:27:38.099 our struggles, 00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:39.259 our idolatries, 00:27:39.819 --> 00:27:41.319 our deepest sins 00:27:41.319 --> 00:27:42.960 are being chipped away 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:43.880 by God 00:27:43.880 --> 00:27:45.539 to reveal 00:27:45.539 --> 00:27:46.400 this beautiful 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:47.840 masterpiece of faith. 00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:50.380 In the wilderness, 00:27:50.840 --> 00:27:51.940 God is chipping away 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:52.779 the parts of you 00:27:52.779 --> 00:27:54.220 that don't look like Jesus. 00:27:58.860 --> 00:28:00.120 Do you trust God 00:28:00.120 --> 00:28:00.660 in the wilderness? 00:28:01.799 --> 00:28:02.360 Truly. 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:04.500 The Israelites 00:28:04.500 --> 00:28:05.759 did not trust God 00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:06.460 in the wilderness, 00:28:06.840 --> 00:28:07.860 which is why 00:28:07.860 --> 00:28:09.340 they begin to hoard 00:28:09.340 --> 00:28:10.079 the manna 00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:11.099 that God sends 00:28:11.099 --> 00:28:11.740 from heaven. 00:28:12.699 --> 00:28:13.639 They start to hoard it. 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:15.359 Instead of gathering 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:16.099 enough food 00:28:16.099 --> 00:28:16.879 for one day 00:28:16.879 --> 00:28:17.839 as God commanded, 00:28:18.199 --> 00:28:19.240 they gathered food 00:28:19.240 --> 00:28:20.399 for multiple days 00:28:20.399 --> 00:28:22.139 because their physical fear 00:28:22.139 --> 00:28:23.980 trumped their spiritual faith. 00:28:26.980 --> 00:28:27.859 The Israelites 00:28:27.859 --> 00:28:29.019 suffered from what I like 00:28:29.019 --> 00:28:30.480 to call spiritual amnesia. 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:34.180 They were quick 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:34.700 to forget 00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:36.059 their redemption story. 00:28:37.180 --> 00:28:37.799 They were quick 00:28:37.799 --> 00:28:38.319 to forget 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:39.440 the Passover lamb 00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:40.440 who was sacrificed 00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:41.640 as their substitute 00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:43.039 and whose blood 00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:44.339 sheltered them 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:45.700 from God's judgment. 00:28:46.700 --> 00:28:47.400 They were quick 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:47.940 to forget 00:28:47.940 --> 00:28:49.259 the baptismal waters 00:28:49.259 --> 00:28:50.180 of the Red Sea 00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:51.360 that cleansed them. 00:28:52.700 --> 00:28:53.539 They were quick 00:28:53.539 --> 00:28:54.240 to forget 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:55.140 who they were 00:28:55.140 --> 00:28:56.240 as children of God. 00:28:58.380 --> 00:28:59.779 We are no different. 00:29:00.900 --> 00:29:01.620 My favorite 00:29:01.620 --> 00:29:02.799 Adam Sandler 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:03.680 and Drew Barrymore 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:04.299 movie is 00:29:04.299 --> 00:29:05.200 50 First Dates. 00:29:05.779 --> 00:29:06.480 These two have been 00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:06.920 in a slew 00:29:06.920 --> 00:29:07.620 of movies together. 00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:09.160 50 First Dates 00:29:09.160 --> 00:29:09.880 is my favorite. 00:29:10.380 --> 00:29:11.000 In the movie, 00:29:11.140 --> 00:29:11.440 Lucy, 00:29:11.579 --> 00:29:12.599 played by Drew Barrymore, 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:14.140 she gets in a bad 00:29:14.140 --> 00:29:14.720 car crash 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:15.240 and she has, 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:17.039 she causes 00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:18.259 short-term memory loss 00:29:18.259 --> 00:29:19.400 and as a result, 00:29:19.579 --> 00:29:20.240 every day 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:21.360 that she wakes up, 00:29:21.640 --> 00:29:22.180 she thinks 00:29:22.180 --> 00:29:23.039 is the same day 00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:23.559 that she got 00:29:23.559 --> 00:29:24.380 in the car crash. 00:29:25.099 --> 00:29:25.259 Right? 00:29:26.140 --> 00:29:27.120 And her family 00:29:27.120 --> 00:29:27.519 and friends, 00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:28.000 they weren't really 00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:29.220 helping the situation. 00:29:29.220 --> 00:29:30.500 They come up 00:29:30.500 --> 00:29:32.299 with this elaborate plan 00:29:32.299 --> 00:29:33.839 to make her think 00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:34.660 that every day 00:29:34.660 --> 00:29:35.779 was, in fact, 00:29:35.860 --> 00:29:36.600 the same day 00:29:36.600 --> 00:29:37.620 as her car crashed 00:29:37.620 --> 00:29:40.019 because the few times 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:40.839 that they told her 00:29:40.839 --> 00:29:41.380 what happened, 00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:42.539 she freaked out 00:29:42.539 --> 00:29:44.019 and she had a panic attack 00:29:44.019 --> 00:29:44.839 and they didn't want 00:29:44.839 --> 00:29:45.500 to deal with that. 00:29:45.600 --> 00:29:46.420 She was unhappy 00:29:46.420 --> 00:29:47.519 so they wanted 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:49.140 to kind of keep her 00:29:49.140 --> 00:29:50.140 in that little bubble, 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:51.319 that little lie 00:29:51.319 --> 00:29:52.079 that they had created 00:29:52.079 --> 00:29:52.640 for her. 00:29:53.960 --> 00:29:54.860 And their plan 00:29:54.860 --> 00:29:55.860 was working great. 00:29:56.400 --> 00:29:56.559 Right? 00:29:56.559 --> 00:29:57.579 It was working fine 00:29:57.579 --> 00:29:58.859 for month after month 00:29:58.859 --> 00:30:00.259 until this guy 00:30:00.259 --> 00:30:01.159 named Henry Roth 00:30:01.159 --> 00:30:01.839 comes around. 00:30:02.079 --> 00:30:03.200 He's played by Adam Sandler 00:30:03.200 --> 00:30:04.000 and he falls in love 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:04.500 with Lucy. 00:30:04.819 --> 00:30:06.200 And Henry wasn't content 00:30:06.200 --> 00:30:07.019 with a lie 00:30:07.019 --> 00:30:08.159 that was being fed 00:30:08.159 --> 00:30:08.759 to Lucy 00:30:08.759 --> 00:30:09.819 over and over 00:30:09.819 --> 00:30:10.599 and over again. 00:30:11.440 --> 00:30:12.119 And so Henry, 00:30:12.259 --> 00:30:13.039 he makes Lucy 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:13.720 this video. 00:30:13.879 --> 00:30:14.399 He calls it 00:30:14.399 --> 00:30:16.579 Good Morning Lucy. 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:17.539 Right? 00:30:17.679 --> 00:30:19.000 It's her Good Morning Lucy video. 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:19.859 And every morning 00:30:19.859 --> 00:30:20.679 she was to watch 00:30:20.679 --> 00:30:21.440 this video 00:30:21.440 --> 00:30:23.619 to set her memory free. 00:30:23.619 --> 00:30:26.699 In the video, 00:30:26.899 --> 00:30:27.739 she saw pictures 00:30:27.739 --> 00:30:29.399 of her car crash. 00:30:30.059 --> 00:30:31.000 She saw what happened 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:31.500 to her. 00:30:32.019 --> 00:30:32.739 And then she saw 00:30:32.739 --> 00:30:34.179 like cat scans 00:30:34.179 --> 00:30:36.059 of her damaged brain. 00:30:37.179 --> 00:30:39.399 And then she saw clips 00:30:39.399 --> 00:30:40.139 of her friends 00:30:40.139 --> 00:30:41.339 and they were telling her 00:30:41.339 --> 00:30:42.419 like it's going to be okay 00:30:42.419 --> 00:30:43.299 and we're going to walk 00:30:43.299 --> 00:30:44.519 with you through this. 00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:47.939 And then the video ends 00:30:47.939 --> 00:30:48.619 with like the most 00:30:48.619 --> 00:30:49.379 profound thing. 00:30:49.779 --> 00:30:50.579 She watches 00:30:50.579 --> 00:30:52.359 her own wedding ceremony. 00:30:52.359 --> 00:30:56.740 And then she looks 00:30:56.740 --> 00:30:57.399 down at her hand. 00:30:57.519 --> 00:30:58.979 She sees a ring. 00:30:59.879 --> 00:31:00.559 And she's reminded, 00:31:01.240 --> 00:31:01.979 I am married. 00:31:03.859 --> 00:31:04.899 And then she walks 00:31:04.899 --> 00:31:05.579 out of her room 00:31:05.579 --> 00:31:07.079 and she goes up the stairs 00:31:07.079 --> 00:31:07.879 and she meets 00:31:07.879 --> 00:31:08.500 her husband 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:09.959 for the first time 00:31:09.959 --> 00:31:11.659 every single day. 00:31:14.619 --> 00:31:15.599 My friends, 00:31:16.240 --> 00:31:18.399 you have to meet 00:31:18.399 --> 00:31:20.539 Jesus every single day 00:31:20.539 --> 00:31:22.359 because we are so forgetful. 00:31:24.159 --> 00:31:25.299 You serve a God 00:31:25.299 --> 00:31:26.379 who is not content 00:31:26.379 --> 00:31:27.240 with the lies 00:31:27.240 --> 00:31:27.720 that the world 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:28.500 is feeding you. 00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:30.119 And so he graciously 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:31.359 inspired a book. 00:31:31.460 --> 00:31:32.200 It's like our 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:33.059 good morning 00:31:33.059 --> 00:31:34.159 Christian book 00:31:34.159 --> 00:31:36.879 that we are to read 00:31:36.879 --> 00:31:37.579 every day 00:31:37.579 --> 00:31:39.079 to set our memories 00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:39.559 free. 00:31:41.480 --> 00:31:42.720 We are to be reminded 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:43.680 of who we are, 00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:44.500 who God is, 00:31:44.539 --> 00:31:45.359 and where we're headed. 00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:47.500 He's given us 00:31:47.500 --> 00:31:48.000 a book 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:49.359 that it tells us. 00:31:50.259 --> 00:31:50.539 All right? 00:31:51.740 --> 00:31:53.019 You need to be reminded 00:31:53.019 --> 00:31:53.740 of your redemption 00:31:53.740 --> 00:31:54.819 story every day. 00:31:54.919 --> 00:31:55.919 You need to be reminded 00:31:55.919 --> 00:31:57.179 of Genesis 3, 00:31:58.179 --> 00:31:59.379 the event that caused 00:31:59.379 --> 00:32:00.759 your spiritual amnesia 00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:02.699 that explains 00:32:02.699 --> 00:32:03.939 all of the 00:32:03.939 --> 00:32:05.359 bad in the world. 00:32:05.799 --> 00:32:06.319 All right? 00:32:06.679 --> 00:32:08.219 You need to remember 00:32:08.219 --> 00:32:10.079 that you were married 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:10.959 to a Savior 00:32:10.959 --> 00:32:11.839 who despite 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:13.099 your many flaws 00:32:13.099 --> 00:32:14.059 chose to set 00:32:14.059 --> 00:32:15.099 his love on you. 00:32:17.079 --> 00:32:18.000 That's the greatest 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:19.200 news you'll ever hear. 00:32:22.399 --> 00:32:23.259 The third thing 00:32:23.259 --> 00:32:24.440 the wilderness shows us 00:32:24.440 --> 00:32:25.519 is that it strengthens 00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:26.519 our faithfulness. 00:32:27.440 --> 00:32:28.879 In order to survive 00:32:28.879 --> 00:32:29.440 the wilderness, 00:32:29.639 --> 00:32:30.500 we have to remember 00:32:30.500 --> 00:32:31.819 our redemption story. 00:32:32.259 --> 00:32:32.460 Right? 00:32:33.919 --> 00:32:35.579 And to help us remember, 00:32:36.279 --> 00:32:37.940 God has graciously 00:32:37.940 --> 00:32:38.859 given us 00:32:38.859 --> 00:32:40.019 a taste of heaven 00:32:40.019 --> 00:32:40.579 now 00:32:40.579 --> 00:32:41.839 in the midst 00:32:41.839 --> 00:32:42.460 of the wilderness. 00:32:42.980 --> 00:32:43.500 I'm going to give you 00:32:43.500 --> 00:32:44.200 three things 00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:45.019 that God has given 00:32:45.019 --> 00:32:45.740 to us 00:32:45.740 --> 00:32:47.019 to get through 00:32:47.019 --> 00:32:47.539 the wilderness. 00:32:48.099 --> 00:32:48.579 First, 00:32:48.680 --> 00:32:49.200 he gives us 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:50.359 a Christian family. 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:52.980 Did you notice 00:32:52.980 --> 00:32:53.839 how the Israelites 00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:54.920 gathered manna 00:32:54.920 --> 00:32:56.220 every morning? 00:33:00.359 --> 00:33:01.359 They were to gather 00:33:01.359 --> 00:33:02.980 bread as a family, 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:03.880 as a community. 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:05.420 They didn't go out 00:33:05.420 --> 00:33:06.180 into the wilderness 00:33:06.180 --> 00:33:06.720 alone. 00:33:07.519 --> 00:33:08.700 They went together 00:33:08.700 --> 00:33:11.440 to find manna 00:33:11.440 --> 00:33:12.220 and to feast 00:33:12.220 --> 00:33:13.420 on this bread. 00:33:13.519 --> 00:33:14.100 They didn't go 00:33:14.100 --> 00:33:14.980 as individuals. 00:33:14.980 --> 00:33:16.000 They went together 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:16.819 as a family. 00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:18.420 And we are 00:33:18.420 --> 00:33:19.420 to do the same. 00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:20.900 You and I, 00:33:21.100 --> 00:33:22.100 we cannot survive 00:33:22.100 --> 00:33:23.259 the wilderness alone. 00:33:24.539 --> 00:33:25.400 You can try 00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:25.960 all you want, 00:33:26.080 --> 00:33:26.720 but it's not going 00:33:26.720 --> 00:33:27.100 to work. 00:33:28.440 --> 00:33:28.640 Okay? 00:33:28.660 --> 00:33:29.440 You can't survive 00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:30.480 this wilderness alone. 00:33:30.620 --> 00:33:31.500 You need this family 00:33:31.500 --> 00:33:32.500 that God has graciously 00:33:32.500 --> 00:33:33.400 given to us. 00:33:33.700 --> 00:33:34.299 And my friends, 00:33:34.400 --> 00:33:34.900 this family 00:33:34.900 --> 00:33:35.500 is a taste 00:33:35.500 --> 00:33:36.300 of heaven now. 00:33:38.580 --> 00:33:39.180 This morning, 00:33:39.220 --> 00:33:39.840 we're going to celebrate 00:33:39.840 --> 00:33:40.560 the Lord's Supper. 00:33:41.380 --> 00:33:42.440 In this meal, 00:33:42.540 --> 00:33:43.680 it's a family meal. 00:33:44.160 --> 00:33:44.860 You don't take it 00:33:44.860 --> 00:33:45.500 as an individual. 00:33:45.620 --> 00:33:46.540 We take it corporately. 00:33:46.620 --> 00:33:47.400 We take it together 00:33:47.400 --> 00:33:48.080 because it is 00:33:48.080 --> 00:33:49.120 a family meal. 00:33:49.220 --> 00:33:50.280 We take it together 00:33:50.280 --> 00:33:51.460 in faith. 00:33:52.560 --> 00:33:53.380 The second thing 00:33:53.380 --> 00:33:54.300 that God gives us 00:33:54.300 --> 00:33:55.259 is the Sabbath. 00:33:56.500 --> 00:33:57.700 Since God made us, 00:33:57.740 --> 00:33:58.580 he knows what is 00:33:58.580 --> 00:33:59.720 best for us. 00:34:00.560 --> 00:34:01.060 He knows 00:34:01.060 --> 00:34:02.540 better than we do. 00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:03.700 He knows that we 00:34:03.700 --> 00:34:04.759 have a limited bandwidth. 00:34:05.600 --> 00:34:06.720 He knows that we 00:34:06.720 --> 00:34:08.220 can't go forever. 00:34:08.420 --> 00:34:09.000 He knows that we 00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:10.079 need to slow down 00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:11.280 and take a deep breath 00:34:11.280 --> 00:34:11.900 and rest. 00:34:13.940 --> 00:34:14.860 He knows that we 00:34:14.860 --> 00:34:16.099 need a day each week 00:34:16.099 --> 00:34:17.180 to fix our eyes 00:34:17.180 --> 00:34:17.680 on him. 00:34:19.559 --> 00:34:20.480 In Exodus 16, 00:34:20.599 --> 00:34:21.400 God set aside 00:34:21.400 --> 00:34:21.960 the Sabbath. 00:34:22.539 --> 00:34:23.200 It wasn't to be 00:34:23.200 --> 00:34:23.920 a day of labor. 00:34:24.059 --> 00:34:24.340 It was to be 00:34:24.340 --> 00:34:25.220 a day of rest 00:34:25.220 --> 00:34:26.160 for the Israelites, 00:34:26.380 --> 00:34:27.460 and it is the same 00:34:27.460 --> 00:34:28.139 for us. 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:29.680 The Sabbath, 00:34:29.880 --> 00:34:30.760 it may not make 00:34:30.760 --> 00:34:31.920 economic sense, 00:34:32.460 --> 00:34:34.220 but it makes 00:34:34.219 --> 00:34:35.179 divine sense, 00:34:35.699 --> 00:34:36.399 and that's where 00:34:36.399 --> 00:34:37.699 true wisdom lies. 00:34:38.539 --> 00:34:39.639 Wisdom is believing 00:34:39.639 --> 00:34:40.500 and trusting that 00:34:40.500 --> 00:34:41.379 God knows what's 00:34:41.379 --> 00:34:42.159 best for you. 00:34:45.159 --> 00:34:45.679 Listen, 00:34:45.799 --> 00:34:46.419 we are wired 00:34:46.419 --> 00:34:47.059 for worship, 00:34:47.059 --> 00:34:47.199 worship, 00:34:47.759 --> 00:34:49.239 and God gave us 00:34:49.239 --> 00:34:50.380 a day each week 00:34:50.380 --> 00:34:51.380 for worship 00:34:51.380 --> 00:34:52.039 to remember 00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:52.860 who God is, 00:34:52.980 --> 00:34:53.539 to remember 00:34:53.539 --> 00:34:54.259 who we are, 00:34:54.299 --> 00:34:54.860 and to remember 00:34:54.860 --> 00:34:55.599 where we're headed. 00:34:57.380 --> 00:34:57.880 The Sabbath 00:34:57.880 --> 00:34:59.119 is a gift from God. 00:34:59.199 --> 00:35:00.039 It is a taste 00:35:00.039 --> 00:35:00.559 of heaven. 00:35:00.759 --> 00:35:01.619 The rest that we 00:35:01.619 --> 00:35:02.440 experience 00:35:02.440 --> 00:35:03.420 each Sabbath, 00:35:03.900 --> 00:35:04.639 each Sunday, 00:35:05.380 --> 00:35:06.860 it is a taste 00:35:06.860 --> 00:35:07.279 of heaven 00:35:07.279 --> 00:35:07.900 in the wilderness. 00:35:07.900 --> 00:35:10.619 the third thing 00:35:10.619 --> 00:35:11.400 God gives us 00:35:11.400 --> 00:35:11.960 is bread, 00:35:12.760 --> 00:35:14.360 and he gives us 00:35:14.360 --> 00:35:14.920 an abundance 00:35:14.920 --> 00:35:15.599 of bread. 00:35:17.760 --> 00:35:18.619 He gives us 00:35:18.619 --> 00:35:19.320 the one bread 00:35:19.320 --> 00:35:19.920 that actually 00:35:19.920 --> 00:35:21.260 satisfies our hunger. 00:35:22.860 --> 00:35:23.539 Get this, 00:35:23.599 --> 00:35:24.400 the word manna, 00:35:24.579 --> 00:35:26.039 it literally means 00:35:26.039 --> 00:35:26.980 what is it, 00:35:27.539 --> 00:35:29.260 or what is this? 00:35:30.019 --> 00:35:30.700 That's what they 00:35:30.700 --> 00:35:31.340 named the bread 00:35:31.340 --> 00:35:31.760 because they had 00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:33.380 no idea what it was 00:35:33.380 --> 00:35:34.539 or where it came from, 00:35:34.539 --> 00:35:36.340 but they still feasted 00:35:36.340 --> 00:35:37.259 on this bread 00:35:37.259 --> 00:35:38.000 in faith 00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:39.300 to survive 00:35:39.300 --> 00:35:39.880 the wilderness. 00:35:42.619 --> 00:35:43.179 Similarly, 00:35:44.840 --> 00:35:45.860 after Jesus 00:35:45.860 --> 00:35:47.079 calmed the storm 00:35:47.079 --> 00:35:47.980 in Mark 14, 00:35:48.259 --> 00:35:48.719 do you remember 00:35:48.719 --> 00:35:49.539 what the disciples 00:35:49.539 --> 00:35:50.440 said to one another? 00:35:52.840 --> 00:35:54.139 Who is this 00:35:54.139 --> 00:35:56.539 that even the winds 00:35:56.539 --> 00:35:57.119 and the seas 00:35:57.119 --> 00:35:57.779 obey him? 00:35:59.639 --> 00:36:01.000 In Luke 5, 00:36:01.159 --> 00:36:02.139 after Jesus heals 00:36:02.139 --> 00:36:03.179 the paralyzed man, 00:36:03.420 --> 00:36:03.779 do you remember 00:36:03.780 --> 00:36:04.680 what the Pharisees 00:36:04.680 --> 00:36:05.480 said to one another? 00:36:07.160 --> 00:36:08.460 Who is this? 00:36:09.820 --> 00:36:11.400 Who can forgive sins 00:36:11.400 --> 00:36:12.680 but God alone? 00:36:13.180 --> 00:36:13.500 You see, 00:36:13.580 --> 00:36:14.300 the Pharisees 00:36:14.300 --> 00:36:15.060 and the disciples, 00:36:15.060 --> 00:36:16.120 they didn't fully 00:36:16.120 --> 00:36:16.880 understand 00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:18.880 who Jesus was. 00:36:21.580 --> 00:36:22.380 The answer 00:36:22.380 --> 00:36:23.260 to this question, 00:36:23.440 --> 00:36:24.540 who is this? 00:36:24.720 --> 00:36:25.620 It comes from 00:36:25.620 --> 00:36:27.280 a very unlikely person 00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:28.420 in Matthew 27. 00:36:30.100 --> 00:36:30.980 After Jesus 00:36:30.980 --> 00:36:31.780 was crucified 00:36:31.780 --> 00:36:33.019 and the curtain 00:36:33.019 --> 00:36:34.500 and the temple 00:36:34.500 --> 00:36:35.639 was torn in two 00:36:35.639 --> 00:36:36.500 and the barrier 00:36:36.500 --> 00:36:37.679 that separated God 00:36:37.679 --> 00:36:38.639 from his people 00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:40.420 was removed, 00:36:41.099 --> 00:36:42.259 the earth shook 00:36:42.259 --> 00:36:43.539 and the centurion 00:36:43.539 --> 00:36:44.679 who nailed Jesus 00:36:44.679 --> 00:36:45.739 to the cross 00:36:45.739 --> 00:36:46.559 looks over 00:36:46.559 --> 00:36:47.460 at his friends 00:36:47.460 --> 00:36:48.179 and says, 00:36:48.340 --> 00:36:48.679 truly, 00:36:49.059 --> 00:36:50.219 this was 00:36:50.219 --> 00:36:51.420 the Son of God. 00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:54.880 It clicked for him. 00:36:55.940 --> 00:36:56.139 Right? 00:36:56.139 --> 00:36:57.139 Listen, 00:36:57.139 --> 00:37:07.839 do you see the connection 00:37:07.839 --> 00:37:08.739 between the manna 00:37:08.739 --> 00:37:09.379 that came down 00:37:09.379 --> 00:37:09.920 from heaven 00:37:09.920 --> 00:37:10.980 in Exodus 16 00:37:10.980 --> 00:37:12.079 and Jesus Christ? 00:37:12.719 --> 00:37:13.920 We read from John 6 00:37:13.920 --> 00:37:14.299 earlier. 00:37:15.659 --> 00:37:17.099 They're the same thing. 00:37:18.099 --> 00:37:18.359 Right? 00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:21.220 Jesus says 00:37:21.220 --> 00:37:21.880 in John 6, 00:37:21.940 --> 00:37:22.360 35, 00:37:22.579 --> 00:37:23.140 I am the bread 00:37:23.140 --> 00:37:23.599 of life. 00:37:23.960 --> 00:37:24.720 Whoever comes 00:37:24.720 --> 00:37:25.120 to me 00:37:25.120 --> 00:37:26.480 shall not hunger. 00:37:28.620 --> 00:37:28.920 You see, 00:37:28.980 --> 00:37:29.360 the manna 00:37:29.360 --> 00:37:30.240 that came down 00:37:30.240 --> 00:37:31.160 from heaven 00:37:31.160 --> 00:37:32.120 and satisfied 00:37:32.120 --> 00:37:33.000 the fearful 00:37:33.000 --> 00:37:34.140 and forgetful 00:37:34.140 --> 00:37:34.800 Israelites 00:37:34.800 --> 00:37:36.480 is the same bread 00:37:36.480 --> 00:37:37.340 that comes down 00:37:37.340 --> 00:37:38.240 from heaven 00:37:38.240 --> 00:37:39.360 to feed 00:37:39.360 --> 00:37:40.360 fearful 00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:41.220 and forgetful 00:37:41.220 --> 00:37:41.740 us. 00:37:42.740 --> 00:37:43.500 And we don't 00:37:43.500 --> 00:37:44.340 just get a taste 00:37:44.340 --> 00:37:44.780 of it. 00:37:45.400 --> 00:37:45.880 Right? 00:37:45.880 --> 00:37:48.519 We get the 00:37:48.519 --> 00:37:48.780 fullest 00:37:48.780 --> 00:37:49.519 and final 00:37:49.519 --> 00:37:50.079 revelation 00:37:50.079 --> 00:37:51.000 of God himself 00:37:51.000 --> 00:37:51.960 and Jesus Christ. 00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:54.019 Listen, 00:37:54.099 --> 00:37:55.180 when one of my kids 00:37:55.180 --> 00:37:55.960 is hungry, 00:37:56.500 --> 00:37:57.180 they don't look 00:37:57.180 --> 00:37:58.280 at their report cards 00:37:58.280 --> 00:38:01.440 to satisfy 00:38:01.440 --> 00:38:02.160 their hunger. 00:38:02.980 --> 00:38:03.800 They don't look 00:38:03.800 --> 00:38:04.840 at their bank accounts 00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:06.660 or their Instagram feeds. 00:38:07.559 --> 00:38:09.059 They come to me 00:38:09.059 --> 00:38:10.000 and they say, 00:38:10.119 --> 00:38:10.220 hey, 00:38:10.240 --> 00:38:10.660 dad, 00:38:10.780 --> 00:38:11.800 I'm hungry. 00:38:12.240 --> 00:38:12.880 Can you give me 00:38:12.880 --> 00:38:13.760 something to eat? 00:38:14.440 --> 00:38:15.599 They go to the right 00:38:15.599 --> 00:38:16.920 source to satisfy 00:38:16.920 --> 00:38:17.599 their hunger. 00:38:19.519 --> 00:38:20.159 Likewise, 00:38:20.579 --> 00:38:22.000 we are God's children 00:38:22.000 --> 00:38:23.239 and we have to go 00:38:23.239 --> 00:38:24.299 to the right source 00:38:24.299 --> 00:38:25.179 to satisfy 00:38:25.179 --> 00:38:26.339 our soul's 00:38:26.339 --> 00:38:27.599 deepest hunger 00:38:27.599 --> 00:38:31.319 because it's the only 00:38:31.319 --> 00:38:32.319 place where we'll 00:38:32.319 --> 00:38:33.139 actually find 00:38:33.139 --> 00:38:33.880 satisfaction. 00:38:36.119 --> 00:38:37.179 We are to be 00:38:37.179 --> 00:38:37.719 a people 00:38:37.719 --> 00:38:38.659 who, 00:38:39.000 --> 00:38:39.980 like in 00:38:39.980 --> 00:38:41.019 John 6, 00:38:41.199 --> 00:38:41.599 say, 00:38:41.940 --> 00:38:43.079 give us this bread 00:38:43.079 --> 00:38:43.679 always. 00:38:43.679 --> 00:38:46.000 We're to be 00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:46.399 a people 00:38:46.399 --> 00:38:47.199 who pray, 00:38:47.440 --> 00:38:48.159 give us this 00:38:48.159 --> 00:38:48.659 day 00:38:48.659 --> 00:38:50.019 our daily bread. 00:38:51.019 --> 00:38:51.940 In other words, 00:38:52.519 --> 00:38:53.480 give me this 00:38:53.480 --> 00:38:53.819 day, 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:54.359 Jesus. 00:38:55.639 --> 00:38:56.559 And tomorrow, 00:38:56.759 --> 00:38:57.119 give me 00:38:57.119 --> 00:38:57.539 Jesus. 00:38:58.919 --> 00:38:59.419 And the next 00:38:59.419 --> 00:38:59.639 day, 00:38:59.719 --> 00:39:00.039 give me 00:39:00.039 --> 00:39:00.440 Jesus. 00:39:01.139 --> 00:39:01.960 And next week, 00:39:02.059 --> 00:39:02.379 give me 00:39:02.379 --> 00:39:02.719 Jesus. 00:39:02.960 --> 00:39:03.659 Next month, 00:39:03.799 --> 00:39:04.119 give me 00:39:04.119 --> 00:39:04.359 Jesus. 00:39:04.500 --> 00:39:05.139 Next year, 00:39:05.319 --> 00:39:05.699 give me 00:39:05.699 --> 00:39:06.059 Jesus. 00:39:06.159 --> 00:39:06.779 And give me 00:39:06.779 --> 00:39:07.579 Jesus every 00:39:07.579 --> 00:39:08.559 single day 00:39:08.559 --> 00:39:09.339 until it's 00:39:09.339 --> 00:39:09.919 my last 00:39:09.919 --> 00:39:10.299 day. 00:39:10.519 --> 00:39:11.159 Because on 00:39:11.159 --> 00:39:11.779 that day, 00:39:11.899 --> 00:39:12.500 I won't 00:39:12.500 --> 00:39:12.879 just get 00:39:12.879 --> 00:39:13.500 a taste. 00:39:15.879 --> 00:39:16.359 We're 00:39:16.359 --> 00:39:16.639 going to 00:39:16.639 --> 00:39:17.219 feast. 00:39:20.799 --> 00:39:21.519 Brothers and 00:39:21.519 --> 00:39:21.819 sisters, 00:39:21.819 --> 00:39:22.539 this year, 00:39:22.739 --> 00:39:24.019 I pray that 00:39:24.019 --> 00:39:24.539 you remember 00:39:24.539 --> 00:39:25.579 this life-changing 00:39:25.579 --> 00:39:26.199 truth. 00:39:27.739 --> 00:39:28.679 Even in the 00:39:28.679 --> 00:39:29.019 wilderness, 00:39:29.259 --> 00:39:29.819 God is with 00:39:29.819 --> 00:39:30.019 you. 00:39:30.299 --> 00:39:30.940 He is for 00:39:30.940 --> 00:39:31.159 you. 00:39:31.319 --> 00:39:31.940 He loves 00:39:31.940 --> 00:39:32.179 you. 00:39:32.339 --> 00:39:32.879 He knows 00:39:32.879 --> 00:39:33.500 what he is 00:39:33.500 --> 00:39:33.960 doing. 00:39:34.719 --> 00:39:35.379 And his 00:39:35.379 --> 00:39:35.980 mercies are 00:39:35.980 --> 00:39:36.739 new every 00:39:36.739 --> 00:39:37.659 single morning. 00:39:38.139 --> 00:39:38.359 Amen. 00:39:39.639 --> 00:39:40.319 And let me 00:39:40.320 --> 00:39:40.700 pray for 00:39:40.700 --> 00:39:40.940 us. 00:39:41.260 --> 00:39:41.700 Heavenly 00:39:41.700 --> 00:39:42.019 Father, 00:39:42.120 --> 00:39:42.420 we thank 00:39:42.420 --> 00:39:42.920 you for 00:39:42.920 --> 00:39:46.460 this paradigm 00:39:46.460 --> 00:39:47.240 that we see 00:39:47.240 --> 00:39:47.920 of our own 00:39:47.920 --> 00:39:48.780 salvation in 00:39:48.780 --> 00:39:49.620 Exodus 16. 00:39:49.880 --> 00:39:50.340 That as 00:39:50.340 --> 00:39:50.780 Christians, 00:39:50.780 --> 00:39:51.260 we have 00:39:51.260 --> 00:39:52.240 crossed over 00:39:52.240 --> 00:39:52.600 to the 00:39:52.600 --> 00:39:53.019 justification 00:39:53.019 --> 00:39:53.860 side of 00:39:53.860 --> 00:39:54.320 the sea, 00:39:54.700 --> 00:39:54.860 the 00:39:54.860 --> 00:39:55.380 sanctification 00:39:55.380 --> 00:39:56.100 side, 00:39:56.200 --> 00:39:56.500 and we 00:39:56.500 --> 00:39:57.180 are walking 00:39:57.180 --> 00:39:57.840 and wandering. 00:39:58.120 --> 00:39:58.700 Sometimes it 00:39:58.700 --> 00:39:59.220 feels through 00:39:59.220 --> 00:39:59.660 a wilderness 00:39:59.660 --> 00:40:00.400 that is harsh 00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:01.019 and difficult 00:40:01.019 --> 00:40:02.160 and painful. 00:40:02.960 --> 00:40:03.320 But we 00:40:03.320 --> 00:40:03.640 know that 00:40:03.640 --> 00:40:03.840 you are 00:40:03.840 --> 00:40:04.420 with us, 00:40:04.740 --> 00:40:05.280 that you're 00:40:05.280 --> 00:40:05.740 for us, 00:40:05.760 --> 00:40:06.019 and that 00:40:06.019 --> 00:40:06.420 you will 00:40:06.420 --> 00:40:07.000 not abandon 00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:07.340 us. 00:40:08.019 --> 00:40:08.600 We pray, 00:40:08.740 --> 00:40:08.800 Lord, 00:40:08.840 --> 00:40:09.140 that you 00:40:09.140 --> 00:40:09.880 would press 00:40:09.880 --> 00:40:10.559 these truths 00:40:10.559 --> 00:40:11.059 into our 00:40:11.059 --> 00:40:11.340 heart, 00:40:11.539 --> 00:40:11.760 that we 00:40:11.760 --> 00:40:12.280 would remember 00:40:12.280 --> 00:40:12.740 who we 00:40:12.740 --> 00:40:13.000 are, 00:40:13.099 --> 00:40:13.360 that we 00:40:13.360 --> 00:40:13.860 are children 00:40:13.860 --> 00:40:14.619 of God, 00:40:15.460 --> 00:40:16.160 and that 00:40:16.160 --> 00:40:16.660 this truth 00:40:16.660 --> 00:40:17.140 will change 00:40:17.140 --> 00:40:17.440 the way 00:40:17.440 --> 00:40:17.720 that we 00:40:17.720 --> 00:40:18.400 view ourselves, 00:40:18.640 --> 00:40:19.180 view others, 00:40:19.260 --> 00:40:19.640 and view 00:40:19.640 --> 00:40:21.280 this entire 00:40:21.280 --> 00:40:22.079 creation that 00:40:22.079 --> 00:40:22.380 you have 00:40:22.380 --> 00:40:22.920 given to 00:40:22.920 --> 00:40:23.220 us. 00:40:23.400 --> 00:40:24.059 We pray 00:40:24.059 --> 00:40:24.539 that you 00:40:24.539 --> 00:40:26.539 would change 00:40:26.539 --> 00:40:26.900 us, 00:40:27.920 --> 00:40:29.180 form us, 00:40:29.559 --> 00:40:29.940 chip away 00:40:29.940 --> 00:40:30.400 the parts 00:40:30.400 --> 00:40:30.860 of us that 00:40:30.860 --> 00:40:31.260 don't look 00:40:31.260 --> 00:40:31.820 like Jesus. 00:40:32.820 --> 00:40:33.000 And it's 00:40:33.000 --> 00:40:33.260 through his 00:40:33.260 --> 00:40:33.539 name we 00:40:33.539 --> 00:40:33.740 pray. 00:40:33.860 --> 00:40:34.019 Amen.