WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.640 You know, some Scriptures and passages in Scripture are really intended to be soothing, 00:00:09.279 --> 00:00:16.219 to calm our nerves, to ease our fears and anxieties, to reassure us of things that we 00:00:16.219 --> 00:00:17.199 need to hold on to. 00:00:17.940 --> 00:00:22.320 Other passages in Scripture act more like smelling salts. 00:00:23.300 --> 00:00:25.339 They're meant to be abrasive. 00:00:25.500 --> 00:00:27.519 They're meant to wake us up. 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:29.660 They're meant to grab our attention. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.980 They're meant to, in some cases, force us to focus on things that we might otherwise 00:00:35.980 --> 00:00:36.939 overlook. 00:00:37.299 --> 00:00:46.019 And this summer, we've been looking at Psalm 106, stanza by stanza, and Psalm 106 is full 00:00:46.019 --> 00:00:47.240 of smelling salts. 00:00:47.740 --> 00:00:55.840 It is a song that was written primarily to recount some of the most heartbreaking, embarrassing 00:00:55.840 --> 00:01:02.900 failures perpetrated by the people of Israel during their time wandering in the wilderness. 00:01:03.300 --> 00:01:04.820 It recounts their biggest failures. 00:01:04.820 --> 00:01:10.460 And you might hear that and wonder, why would somebody want to write a song about anything 00:01:10.460 --> 00:01:11.420 like this? 00:01:11.420 --> 00:01:19.260 And the answer is, as the saying goes, those who cannot remember the past are condemned 00:01:19.260 --> 00:01:20.159 to repeat it. 00:01:21.099 --> 00:01:27.480 And so, God's people said, these are important, and we need to remind every future generation 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:31.120 so that they can learn from our mistakes. 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:38.660 Psalm 106 is here to wake us up like smelling salts, to remind us of these things, and to 00:01:38.660 --> 00:01:41.160 help us learn from their mistakes. 00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:41.859 Why us? 00:01:41.960 --> 00:01:45.880 Because we are living in the wilderness of the late modern West. 00:01:46.760 --> 00:01:47.900 We're still in the wilderness. 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:52.719 And these lessons are as important to us as they were to God's people back then. 00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:57.400 Whether you're here as somebody who follows Jesus or you're curious and want to know more, 00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:01.599 not sure what you believe, there is something in here for all of us. 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:05.920 And so, we're going to be looking specifically at an episode that we read about in verses 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:07.719 32 and 33. 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:11.919 This is a heartbreaking episode in Israel's past. 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:18.939 And we read more about this episode in detail in Numbers chapter 20, verses 2 to 13. 00:02:18.939 --> 00:02:21.340 So, we're going to look at this story in three parts. 00:02:21.340 --> 00:02:27.219 There's a stubborn craving, a heartbreaking failure, and then a gracious God. 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:28.340 Let's pray. 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:33.420 Lord, we need both from you. 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:39.259 There are those of us here who desperately need your comfort. 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:42.460 We need to be soothed, and I pray that through your Spirit you would do that. 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:45.759 There are also many here who need to be awakened. 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:51.179 We need to have our attention recaptured. 00:02:51.939 --> 00:02:56.199 Lord, we need you to direct our minds and hearts where you would have us go. 00:02:56.579 --> 00:03:00.259 We pray that, Lord, you would do both, that you would give us comfort where we need comfort, 00:03:00.679 --> 00:03:01.719 where we feel afflicted. 00:03:02.060 --> 00:03:06.939 And for those of us who have become complacent or sleepy, I pray that you would shake us awake. 00:03:06.939 --> 00:03:13.699 And I pray that both would be an act of your grace and love to draw us more closely to yourself through your Word. 00:03:13.859 --> 00:03:15.340 We pray this in your Son's holy name. 00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:16.079 Amen. 00:03:17.539 --> 00:03:19.939 So, first of all, a stubborn craving. 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:25.300 In Numbers 20, verses 1 and 2, and in the preceding chapter, 00:03:25.620 --> 00:03:29.939 we learn that by this point, God's people are encamped at Kadesh. 00:03:29.939 --> 00:03:33.699 And this is now mostly the next generation. 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:39.219 So, these are people who have more than likely been born in the wilderness. 00:03:39.359 --> 00:03:41.919 They've been in the wilderness for a while at this point. 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:45.800 And verse 2 tells us that they have encountered a problem here at Kadesh. 00:03:45.979 --> 00:03:47.520 They're completely out of water. 00:03:48.259 --> 00:03:49.319 They're dying of thirst. 00:03:49.979 --> 00:03:52.659 And by the way, this isn't the first time that this has happened. 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:55.740 This also happened earlier on their journey at Rephidim. 00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:58.280 You read about that in Exodus chapter 17. 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:00.599 And there, when they were out of water, they grumbled. 00:04:00.939 --> 00:04:05.699 And God miraculously provided for them by making water come right out of a rock. 00:04:06.719 --> 00:04:09.680 And so, you would think that they would be looking at their present crisis. 00:04:09.819 --> 00:04:10.759 We're out of water again. 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:11.500 We're in the wilderness. 00:04:12.180 --> 00:04:13.780 God provided for us back then. 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:15.699 Surely, God will provide for us again. 00:04:15.780 --> 00:04:19.860 And so, you would think they would fall to their knees and they would pray, 00:04:20.379 --> 00:04:24.100 God, please bring water for us again. 00:04:24.379 --> 00:04:25.779 But look what they do instead. 00:04:25.779 --> 00:04:27.340 It says in verse 3, 00:04:27.339 --> 00:04:45.799 And I hope you pick up the note of melodrama there. 00:04:46.479 --> 00:04:48.659 You know, we're going to die, right? 00:04:48.719 --> 00:04:52.979 Worst case scenario, think of the cattle, you know, right? 00:04:52.980 --> 00:04:54.720 So, this is very melodramatic. 00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:59.800 Instead of praying, they're wallowing in self-pity, right? 00:04:59.840 --> 00:05:01.680 This is classic self-pity. 00:05:02.740 --> 00:05:03.960 And then look what they say. 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:05.240 Here's what we want to key in on. 00:05:05.580 --> 00:05:06.340 Verse 5, 00:05:06.939 --> 00:05:12.780 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? 00:05:12.779 --> 00:05:18.759 They're accusing Moses of forcing them to come out of Egypt. 00:05:21.399 --> 00:05:24.839 Egypt was the place where they had been slaves. 00:05:25.359 --> 00:05:31.359 For 400 years, they had been slaves in Egypt. 00:05:31.359 --> 00:05:36.379 And God, through Moses, had miraculously delivered them from slavery. 00:05:36.559 --> 00:05:40.599 He had demonstrated His power over Pharaoh and the Egyptian gods. 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:42.020 He had set them free. 00:05:42.460 --> 00:05:45.180 Time and time again, when God speaks to His people, 00:05:45.400 --> 00:05:47.340 He introduces Himself as, 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:52.060 I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you up out of slavery in Egypt. 00:05:52.320 --> 00:05:57.280 So, this is the great demonstration of God's goodness and power. 00:05:58.640 --> 00:06:00.220 But they have it backwards. 00:06:01.379 --> 00:06:05.460 In their minds, Egypt, that was the good life. 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:09.759 That's where we had plenty to eat, plenty to drink. 00:06:10.599 --> 00:06:12.199 We were provided for. 00:06:12.339 --> 00:06:13.120 Life was good. 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:14.359 The good old days. 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:17.839 That kind of golden vision of a utopian past. 00:06:19.379 --> 00:06:22.519 But you've brought us out here to this evil place to die. 00:06:22.599 --> 00:06:24.259 So, not only are they calling the wilderness evil, 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:25.519 but they're calling Moses evil. 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:28.120 And ultimately, they're calling God evil. 00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:30.759 And this isn't the first time they've said this. 00:06:31.060 --> 00:06:35.500 Remember, they said this very same thing right after they came out of Egypt. 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:36.939 Why have you brought us here to die? 00:06:37.379 --> 00:06:38.439 Can't we go back to Egypt? 00:06:39.660 --> 00:06:44.340 And then, fast forward to the end of their journey at the borders of the promised land. 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:46.340 They're still saying it. 00:06:46.500 --> 00:06:47.780 Why can't we go back to Egypt? 00:06:49.540 --> 00:06:50.800 The point is this. 00:06:52.459 --> 00:06:56.399 God's people have come out of Egypt, but Egypt has not come out of them. 00:06:56.399 --> 00:07:04.120 In their hearts, in their hearts, they're still slaves in Egypt. 00:07:05.039 --> 00:07:08.719 In their hearts, Pharaoh, who's long gone by this point, 00:07:09.599 --> 00:07:14.000 still has a firm grip on their identity. 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:16.560 Their identity hasn't changed. 00:07:17.899 --> 00:07:20.500 Now, you ask, well, what does this have to do with us? 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:21.620 This is a long time ago. 00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:26.600 In John chapter 8, Jesus is speaking with some people. 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:28.379 And these are new converts. 00:07:28.660 --> 00:07:33.680 These are a bunch of Jews who have just recently decided that they like what Jesus has to say, 00:07:33.819 --> 00:07:35.879 and they want to follow him. 00:07:36.280 --> 00:07:37.740 And so, Jesus is teaching them. 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:42.680 And he says, if you listen to my words, and if you live by my words, 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:46.720 if you abide in my teaching, the truth will set you free. 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:52.080 If you listen to and live out my words, then you will become free. 00:07:52.220 --> 00:07:54.920 And they respond with confusion, and they say, what are you talking about? 00:07:55.080 --> 00:07:55.900 We are free. 00:07:56.140 --> 00:07:57.880 We've never been slaves to anyone. 00:07:59.300 --> 00:08:02.240 And Jesus responds, truly, truly, I say to you, 00:08:03.200 --> 00:08:08.060 everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 00:08:08.060 --> 00:08:08.560 Right? 00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:14.519 The Bible says that just like the people of Israel were born into slavery in Egypt, 00:08:14.740 --> 00:08:19.060 so all human beings are born into slavery to sin. 00:08:19.160 --> 00:08:22.160 And most people in the late modern West hearing that would say, 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:23.079 what are you talking about? 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:23.720 I'm free. 00:08:23.939 --> 00:08:25.540 I live in the freest country in the world. 00:08:25.660 --> 00:08:27.220 I've never been a slave to anybody. 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:34.179 But what Jesus is saying is if you commit sin, it means that you're a slave to sin. 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:36.440 So, what that means is look at your life. 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:38.360 Put it this way. 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:41.140 Look at your life and think of this. 00:08:41.640 --> 00:08:47.240 Anything that you cannot say no to is your master. 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:53.020 Anything that you cannot say no to has enslaved you. 00:08:53.120 --> 00:08:58.680 If you can't stop overeating, then you're a slave to food. 00:08:59.880 --> 00:09:06.180 If you can't stop losing your temper, yelling at your girlfriend, boyfriend, 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:10.480 husband, wife, kids, you're a slave to your anger. 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:16.780 If you can't stop conforming to what other people expect of you, 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:21.900 if you can't ever say no and set boundaries even when you really want to, 00:09:22.420 --> 00:09:27.780 and you end up saying yes and then resenting the person that you said yes to, 00:09:28.220 --> 00:09:30.320 then you're a slave to the approval of other people. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:31.640 All right? 00:09:31.700 --> 00:09:38.540 If you can't stop overworking such that you neglect your health, your family, your friends, 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:42.460 then you're a slave to your career. 00:09:43.620 --> 00:09:48.260 If you can't stop comparing your life to other people's lives, 00:09:49.260 --> 00:09:53.620 if you can't stop envying the lives that other people have, 00:09:53.620 --> 00:09:58.480 if you can't stop resenting your friends when they experience success, 00:09:58.659 --> 00:10:00.500 then you're a slave to covetousness. 00:10:01.779 --> 00:10:10.600 If you habitually refuse to allow yourself to be put out in order to help somebody in need, 00:10:11.560 --> 00:10:13.779 then you're a slave to convenience, right? 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:15.620 So if you begin to look at your life, 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:19.919 you begin to realize there are things that I can't say no to. 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:25.259 Now, a lot of people don't realize that because we don't say no a whole lot in our lives 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:27.620 to things that we should say no to. 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:31.759 I've realized that in the last years I've really tried to change my eating habits 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:36.799 as a result of just recognizing the impact of bad eating over decades on my body 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:42.799 and my heart disease and genetic condition of high cholesterol that I've inherited. 00:10:43.980 --> 00:10:46.719 I've really been trying to change my eating habits 00:10:46.719 --> 00:10:49.379 and saying no in ways that I've not said no before. 00:10:49.379 --> 00:10:51.539 And it's a simple thing, eating, it's a simple thing. 00:10:52.460 --> 00:10:56.539 And yet I've realized how much of a power food has over me 00:10:56.539 --> 00:10:57.840 and how hard it is to say no. 00:10:58.379 --> 00:11:00.820 And you begin to look at your life and only when you start to say no 00:11:00.820 --> 00:11:03.080 do you really begin to realize, oh my goodness, 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:06.019 I have so little power in this relationship. 00:11:06.700 --> 00:11:08.960 And you begin to realize I'm more of a slave than I think. 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:12.480 And here's the thing for those of us in the room who are Christians, 00:11:12.659 --> 00:11:15.039 this doesn't automatically change when you become a Christian. 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:18.199 It doesn't automatically go away. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:20.039 Right? 00:11:20.199 --> 00:11:23.059 Jesus frees us from the penalty of sin, praise God. 00:11:23.199 --> 00:11:25.120 But the power of sin remains. 00:11:26.459 --> 00:11:29.500 The influence of sin remains until Jesus comes again. 00:11:30.500 --> 00:11:33.959 You know, there's a song by Sarah Groves that says, 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:38.680 I've been painting pictures of Egypt, leaving out what it lacked. 00:11:39.300 --> 00:11:43.200 The future seems so hard and I want to go back. 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:50.200 And I was really captured by that image, painting pictures of Egypt, 00:11:51.379 --> 00:11:54.360 idealizing life apart from God, 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:58.180 idealizing your life before you met God, 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:02.659 idealizing life if you were to leave God behind, 00:12:02.839 --> 00:12:07.059 convincing yourself that God's way is simply not worth it, 00:12:07.239 --> 00:12:10.819 that God's way is maybe even evil, 00:12:11.319 --> 00:12:13.759 and that we would be way better off, 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:17.899 our lives would be way better off without God in the picture. 00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:21.759 Now, why would we think this way? 00:12:22.859 --> 00:12:24.759 And I think the answer is simply, 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:26.879 for those of us who are followers of Jesus, 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:30.720 because the path of freedom is hard. 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:32.939 It's hard. 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:38.139 It takes more effort than slavery. 00:12:39.439 --> 00:12:41.279 And that's a bit of a paradox. 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:45.419 And yet, we find that again and again to be true, 00:12:45.659 --> 00:12:49.259 that the road back to Egypt and life in Egypt is easier 00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:50.840 in a lot of ways. 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:54.720 You know, God calls us to the freedom of self-control. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:13:00.639 But it's much easier to overeat or to drink too much 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:02.440 because it helps us escape for a bit. 00:13:03.460 --> 00:13:05.800 You know, when you are feeling acute distress, 00:13:06.180 --> 00:13:09.100 your system isn't thinking on a moral level. 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:10.680 It's just simply thinking, 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:14.639 what can I do to reduce the distress as quickly as possible? 00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:20.639 And if you have trained yourself that eating or drinking will reduce it quickly, 00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:22.919 it will get you numb, 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:24.559 and that's better than how you feel now, 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:25.740 then that's what you're going to do. 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:30.000 It's much easier to go back to the same old patterns. 00:13:30.539 --> 00:13:33.199 God calls us to the freedom of forgiveness. 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:38.560 But it is much easier to hold on to bitterness. 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:42.820 It's much easier, and it feels good. 00:13:43.700 --> 00:13:46.920 It feels good to have a kind of righteous indignation towards somebody. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:51.120 God calls us to the freedom of Sabbath rest, 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:57.160 but it is much easier to chase productivity and success. 00:13:58.040 --> 00:13:59.460 Again, a bit paradoxical. 00:13:59.460 --> 00:14:03.480 It's much easier to do that because our society rewards that kind of thing. 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:07.700 So again and again and again, you see that God calls us to freedom, 00:14:07.820 --> 00:14:08.740 but there's a cost. 00:14:09.379 --> 00:14:11.139 There's an effort involved in that. 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:16.780 It's much harder in most cases than going back to Egypt. 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:22.340 And what we see consistently in Scripture is that God's desire is to set us free, 00:14:22.620 --> 00:14:25.100 and it is to lead us into a lifetime of freedom. 00:14:25.100 --> 00:14:32.120 But until Jesus comes again, we're going to be haunted by a stubborn craving for Egypt. 00:14:32.379 --> 00:14:38.019 We're going to be haunted by this temptation to paint pictures of the good life apart from God. 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:41.620 So you ask, okay, well, what can we do about it? 00:14:41.680 --> 00:14:44.639 That's the passage sort of sets up this problem, 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:48.860 and then we're hanging in the tension of, okay, where's this going to go from here? 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.120 And so we look to Moses. 00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:52.779 Moses is the leader. 00:14:52.940 --> 00:14:54.240 Aaron, they're the leaders. 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:55.500 Okay, what are they going to do? 00:14:55.899 --> 00:14:57.820 So Moses and Aaron, they go to the Lord. 00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:01.299 They fall on their face at the tent of meeting, and they cry out to God. 00:15:01.560 --> 00:15:03.100 And God says this to Moses. 00:15:03.259 --> 00:15:06.879 He says, I want you to take up your staff, which is a symbol of authority, 00:15:07.220 --> 00:15:09.480 and I want you to go out in front of all of the people, 00:15:09.560 --> 00:15:10.899 and I want you to speak to the rock. 00:15:11.180 --> 00:15:13.580 Just go to the rock right here and speak to the rock, 00:15:14.100 --> 00:15:16.039 and water's going to come gushing out of it. 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:26.279 But Moses is tired, and he's frustrated, and he's angry because the people are so stubborn and so critical. 00:15:27.099 --> 00:15:31.099 And so he makes a thoughtless and yet terrible mistake. 00:15:31.199 --> 00:15:32.159 Verses 10 and 11. 00:15:33.219 --> 00:15:38.399 Moses doesn't say, God, bring water out of this rock. 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:45.959 He says to the people, shall we bring water out of this rock for you? 00:15:46.740 --> 00:15:51.720 It's a little mistake in terms of the actual wording, 00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:55.439 but it's a massive mistake in terms of the theology. 00:15:56.139 --> 00:15:59.319 God says, speak to the rock, and I will make water come out of it. 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:03.620 And then Moses says, shall we bring water out of this rock for you? 00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:05.500 We'll do it, not God. 00:16:05.500 --> 00:16:09.720 And then instead of speaking to the rock, he strikes it twice with his staff. 00:16:09.779 --> 00:16:12.120 And you can imagine him almost doing it in frustration, 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:13.840 like, all right, let's get this show on the road. 00:16:13.980 --> 00:16:14.360 Whack, whack. 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:19.279 Now, some people read this, actually many of us read this, 00:16:19.299 --> 00:16:20.340 and we say, well, what's the big deal? 00:16:20.419 --> 00:16:23.519 Why does God get so angry at just a little grammatical mistake? 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:28.779 You know, my old seminary professor, Walt Kaiser, was an Old Testament scholar, 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:34.759 and he actually says that the issue here is that it's all about God's Word. 00:16:35.500 --> 00:16:37.360 It's all about God's Word. 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:39.220 What he says is this. 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:43.159 He says, what the people lacked at this particular moment is not so much water. 00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:47.360 They lacked confidence in God's Word. 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:53.039 Their fear over the water was actually rooted in a deeper fear 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:56.500 that God's promise to provide for them was a lie. 00:16:57.159 --> 00:16:59.200 They had no confidence in God's Word. 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:00.980 And so here's what God is saying. 00:17:01.300 --> 00:17:03.620 Moses, I want you to say my Word. 00:17:03.800 --> 00:17:05.460 I want you to get up in front of these people, 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:08.120 and I want you to speak my Word over the rock. 00:17:09.240 --> 00:17:11.180 And then they're going to see water gush out. 00:17:11.220 --> 00:17:13.319 And what's going to be the impact of that on their hearts? 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:15.860 I can trust God's Word. 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:21.000 When I speak God's Word, when other people speak God's Word, things happen. 00:17:21.259 --> 00:17:23.680 This is the Word that brought creation into existence. 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:26.720 This is the Word that flung the stars into the sky. 00:17:26.840 --> 00:17:29.019 This is the Word that created human beings. 00:17:29.360 --> 00:17:31.720 This is the Word that can make water come out of rocks. 00:17:32.860 --> 00:17:34.200 That's what I want you to do, Moses. 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:37.779 And so in that little shift when Moses says, 00:17:38.120 --> 00:17:40.039 shall we bring water out of the rock, 00:17:40.360 --> 00:17:42.259 he is undercutting God's Word. 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:46.660 He's not speaking it as it was given to him. 00:17:46.700 --> 00:17:51.340 And by the way, for those of us who are teachers and preachers of God's Word 00:17:51.340 --> 00:17:55.400 in any capacity, there's a little side application for us. 00:17:55.400 --> 00:17:58.060 You know, when we speak God's Word, 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:01.800 do we simply speak it as it has been given to us 00:18:01.800 --> 00:18:06.320 with confidence that God is going to move in the hearts of his people? 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:12.200 Or do we feel the need to edit it, apologize for it, explain it away, 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:16.560 and ultimately undercut people's confidence in its power? 00:18:18.680 --> 00:18:21.080 Right, so this is Moses' mistake. 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:26.439 He undercuts people's confidence rather than holding God's Word out 00:18:26.439 --> 00:18:28.439 and showing them what it's capable of. 00:18:28.919 --> 00:18:31.079 And so you ask, well, okay, well, this feels like a different point. 00:18:31.159 --> 00:18:33.839 What does this have to do with slavery and freedom, 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:35.299 which we've just been talking about? 00:18:35.559 --> 00:18:36.599 And here's the connection. 00:18:37.139 --> 00:18:40.759 The key to true freedom is confidence in God's Word. 00:18:42.539 --> 00:18:45.619 How do you get Egypt out of people? 00:18:47.099 --> 00:18:49.839 You've gotten them out of Egypt, but how do you get Egypt out of them? 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:54.599 How do you turn their hearts from being slave hearts into free hearts? 00:18:54.879 --> 00:18:56.339 It's confidence in God's Word. 00:18:57.919 --> 00:19:03.119 It's confidence that God is going to do what he says he's going to do. 00:19:04.199 --> 00:19:06.039 And what you find in your life is this. 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:09.279 The less we trust God's Word 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:11.459 and the less we trust that God is true to his Word, 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:15.139 the more tempted we are to paint pictures of Egypt in our minds. 00:19:15.959 --> 00:19:17.240 It's a direct correlation. 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:24.940 So what God wanted to do was to show his people that they could trust his Word. 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:28.779 But Moses, because of his frustration and anger and all the things we said, 00:19:28.940 --> 00:19:30.120 he's not thinking straight. 00:19:30.380 --> 00:19:32.539 He fails to speak and follow God's Word. 00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:37.319 And for that, God tells him that he's not going to be allowed to enter into the Promised Land. 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:40.339 Now, this is really harsh. 00:19:41.139 --> 00:19:42.519 Seems really harsh to our ears. 00:19:43.639 --> 00:19:45.939 But here's the lesson I think we need to learn from this. 00:19:46.500 --> 00:19:47.240 Here's the lesson. 00:19:48.139 --> 00:19:52.000 Moses represents humanity's best chance at freedom. 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:52.960 Right? 00:19:53.259 --> 00:19:56.339 I mean, in terms of people, in terms of leaders, 00:19:56.759 --> 00:19:59.500 Moses is about as good as it gets. 00:19:59.659 --> 00:20:03.220 Moses has actually heard the audible voice of God. 00:20:03.220 --> 00:20:07.620 Moses has seen the face of God. 00:20:09.140 --> 00:20:15.299 Moses has devoted his life to leading these people from slavery to freedom. 00:20:15.420 --> 00:20:16.680 It's his life's work. 00:20:18.600 --> 00:20:23.740 If Moses, here at the very last minute, the 11th hour, 00:20:23.860 --> 00:20:25.059 if Moses fails, 00:20:25.059 --> 00:20:28.599 I think that we're meant to ask, 00:20:28.940 --> 00:20:30.220 well, what chance do I have? 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:35.039 And really, what chance does any human leader have 00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:38.099 to save us and lead us into true freedom? 00:20:38.879 --> 00:20:41.940 I think that we are meant to feel the futility 00:20:41.940 --> 00:20:45.779 of human beings trying to save ourselves. 00:20:47.059 --> 00:20:48.659 If Moses can't do it, 00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:51.940 I've got no chance of doing it in my own life. 00:20:51.940 --> 00:20:57.620 So this is where we find ourselves in this passage. 00:20:57.860 --> 00:21:00.160 If all human beings are born slaves to sin, 00:21:00.820 --> 00:21:03.500 and if even after we're forgiven through Jesus, 00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:07.039 we continue to crave Egypt because we don't trust God's word, 00:21:07.840 --> 00:21:09.860 and if we can't save ourselves, 00:21:10.860 --> 00:21:12.500 then what hope is there? 00:21:14.820 --> 00:21:19.700 And then we turn to this image of a gracious God. 00:21:19.700 --> 00:21:23.059 And you say, well, where's the grace of God in this passage? 00:21:23.140 --> 00:21:25.700 He just told Moses that he's not going to be allowed 00:21:25.700 --> 00:21:26.920 to enter the promised land. 00:21:28.140 --> 00:21:30.559 But along with the discipline of the Lord, 00:21:31.460 --> 00:21:34.319 we see the grace of the Lord. 00:21:35.600 --> 00:21:38.880 Even though the people accuse God of being evil, 00:21:39.860 --> 00:21:42.259 even though they accuse God of leading them 00:21:42.259 --> 00:21:44.340 into the wilderness only to kill them, 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:46.740 even though they are saying blatantly 00:21:46.740 --> 00:21:49.059 that they long to return to Egypt, 00:21:49.940 --> 00:21:52.539 even though Moses fails to speak 00:21:52.539 --> 00:21:55.000 and uphold God's word as he had received it, 00:21:55.660 --> 00:21:57.720 even in the face of all of these failure 00:21:57.720 --> 00:21:59.099 after failure after failure, 00:21:59.259 --> 00:22:01.759 verse 11, water came out abundantly. 00:22:02.819 --> 00:22:04.799 The water still comes out of the rock, 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:08.759 and the congregation drinks until they are full. 00:22:09.299 --> 00:22:11.160 And what we need to recognize this as 00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:13.160 is an act of sheer grace. 00:22:13.540 --> 00:22:15.940 They don't deserve for the water to come out. 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:18.880 This is pure grace. 00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:21.040 And the good news for us, 00:22:21.100 --> 00:22:22.660 reading this thousands of years later, 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:24.900 is that God has done something even greater 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:26.240 in our lives. 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:28.680 1 Corinthians 10, Paul says, 00:22:29.019 --> 00:22:30.960 for I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:33.640 that our fathers were all under the cloud 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:35.519 and all passed through the sea. 00:22:35.600 --> 00:22:36.700 He's talking about the Exodus. 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:41.259 All were baptized into Moses and the cloud and the sea. 00:22:41.340 --> 00:22:42.860 He's talking about the wilderness wandering. 00:22:43.580 --> 00:22:45.819 And all ate the same spiritual food. 00:22:45.900 --> 00:22:46.920 He's talking about the manna. 00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:50.259 And all drank the same spiritual drink. 00:22:50.340 --> 00:22:52.360 He's talking about the water that came out of the rocks. 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:54.980 For they drank from the spiritual rock 00:22:54.980 --> 00:22:55.980 that followed them, 00:22:56.460 --> 00:22:58.360 and the rock was Christ. 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:03.340 It is amazing when the Bible 00:23:03.339 --> 00:23:05.899 is willing to interpret itself 00:23:05.899 --> 00:23:07.740 so that we don't miss 00:23:07.740 --> 00:23:09.480 what it's trying to say to us. 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:11.419 And Paul is looking back 00:23:11.419 --> 00:23:13.159 at these moments in Israel's history, 00:23:13.299 --> 00:23:17.179 perhaps even reading back through Psalm 106, 00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:19.679 and he's looking back on this history 00:23:19.679 --> 00:23:23.000 when even though these people didn't deserve it, 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:25.099 God miraculously provided for them 00:23:25.099 --> 00:23:26.799 by bringing water out of the rocks. 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:27.799 And Paul is saying, 00:23:28.379 --> 00:23:30.179 all along, that was Christ. 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:33.580 That was Jesus all along 00:23:33.580 --> 00:23:36.519 because that's who Christ is. 00:23:37.600 --> 00:23:39.700 Christ is the water in the desert 00:23:39.700 --> 00:23:41.420 for those who are dying of thirst. 00:23:42.259 --> 00:23:44.980 Christ is God's great gift to the world. 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:47.039 Christ is God's Word 00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:49.420 who came in fulfillment of God's Word. 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:51.759 Right? 00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:53.519 It's no wonder in John chapter 4, 00:23:53.660 --> 00:23:55.259 Jesus says to the woman at the well, 00:23:55.340 --> 00:23:56.820 we heard this read a moment ago, 00:23:57.299 --> 00:23:58.240 he says to this woman, 00:23:58.240 --> 00:24:00.160 if you knew the gift of God 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:03.500 and who it is that is speaking with you, 00:24:04.319 --> 00:24:05.700 you would have asked him 00:24:05.700 --> 00:24:08.640 and he would have given you living water. 00:24:09.700 --> 00:24:12.440 Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him 00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:14.279 will never be thirsty again. 00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:16.500 The water that I will give him 00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:19.339 will become in him a spring of water 00:24:19.339 --> 00:24:21.960 welling up to eternal life. 00:24:22.380 --> 00:24:23.700 Why did Moses fail? 00:24:24.620 --> 00:24:26.019 Because Moses said, 00:24:26.019 --> 00:24:27.539 I will give you water. 00:24:28.579 --> 00:24:29.359 But guess what? 00:24:29.859 --> 00:24:31.599 No human being can say, 00:24:31.740 --> 00:24:32.700 I will give you water. 00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:35.420 Only God can say, 00:24:35.799 --> 00:24:37.000 I will give you water. 00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:39.700 Only Jesus Christ can say, 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:41.220 I will give you water. 00:24:41.700 --> 00:24:42.980 But it's not just the water 00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:44.119 that will leave you thirsty. 00:24:44.539 --> 00:24:45.759 In a few hours, 00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:47.220 it is living water. 00:24:47.420 --> 00:24:48.160 And more than that, 00:24:48.259 --> 00:24:48.599 I will, 00:24:48.920 --> 00:24:50.819 like I brought the water out of the rock, 00:24:50.900 --> 00:24:52.660 I'm going to bring water out of your heart. 00:24:52.660 --> 00:24:57.340 There's going to be a spring of living water in you 00:24:57.340 --> 00:24:59.000 and you will never be thirsty again. 00:25:00.300 --> 00:25:02.500 Imagine if Moses had said something like that 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:03.779 to the people in the wilderness. 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:06.480 This promise is so much greater, 00:25:06.600 --> 00:25:09.540 it makes that promise look like a shadow by comparison. 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:11.420 And of course, 00:25:11.540 --> 00:25:13.200 Jesus isn't just talking about water, 00:25:13.300 --> 00:25:14.560 he's talking about grace. 00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:17.060 He's talking about the fact that 00:25:17.060 --> 00:25:18.600 even when we crave Egypt, 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:21.380 even when we fail to uphold God's word, 00:25:21.380 --> 00:25:23.480 even when we fall back into sin, 00:25:23.880 --> 00:25:26.100 God continues to pour his love 00:25:26.100 --> 00:25:29.900 and his grace and himself into our lives. 00:25:32.040 --> 00:25:34.820 And I want to be very clear about this image. 00:25:36.060 --> 00:25:39.080 It's very easy to read Numbers chapter 20 00:25:39.080 --> 00:25:41.620 and to imagine a little rock 00:25:41.620 --> 00:25:44.500 and to imagine a little trickle of water 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:45.640 coming out of the rock. 00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:46.980 That's what I've always imagined 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:49.460 when I think of this incident. 00:25:49.460 --> 00:25:52.140 I read about someone 00:25:52.140 --> 00:25:53.920 who actually tried to calculate 00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:56.180 how much water would have to come out 00:25:56.180 --> 00:25:59.279 to be able to supply roughly 2 million people 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:01.720 and probably another million cattle. 00:26:03.259 --> 00:26:04.740 Now for the sake of comparison, 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:07.500 your kitchen faucet has a flow rate 00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:10.680 of probably something around one gallon per minute. 00:26:11.360 --> 00:26:12.620 That's probably the flow rate. 00:26:13.460 --> 00:26:14.880 But here at Kadesh, 00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:16.840 this person estimated 00:26:16.840 --> 00:26:19.340 that this water had to come out 00:26:19.340 --> 00:26:22.640 at a rate of about 2,000 gallons per second. 00:26:23.840 --> 00:26:26.840 So don't imagine a little trickle of water 00:26:26.840 --> 00:26:28.760 bubbling out of a little rock 00:26:28.760 --> 00:26:29.700 on the side of the hill. 00:26:30.080 --> 00:26:32.320 Imagine a hydroelectric dam 00:26:32.320 --> 00:26:33.940 opening its floodgates 00:26:33.940 --> 00:26:36.780 and this massive jet of water 00:26:36.780 --> 00:26:38.360 coming out like a fountain. 00:26:38.420 --> 00:26:38.740 And you say, 00:26:38.820 --> 00:26:39.280 well, okay, 00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:41.660 we're kind of getting into the weeds here 00:26:41.660 --> 00:26:42.100 a little bit. 00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:43.599 Why does this matter so much? 00:26:43.779 --> 00:26:45.259 Because I think that we imagine 00:26:45.259 --> 00:26:46.899 God's grace in the same way. 00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:49.639 I think that we have a tendency 00:26:49.639 --> 00:26:51.319 to imagine God's grace 00:26:51.319 --> 00:26:53.019 as this little trickle. 00:26:53.539 --> 00:26:56.079 As though God has an eyedropper of grace 00:26:56.079 --> 00:26:58.119 and he's very stingy with it 00:26:58.119 --> 00:26:59.740 and only when we really need it 00:26:59.740 --> 00:27:01.099 then he's like drip, drip 00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:02.599 and he gives us a little bit of grace 00:27:02.599 --> 00:27:03.539 but just enough. 00:27:04.939 --> 00:27:06.619 And that is a very wrong-minded way 00:27:06.619 --> 00:27:07.539 to think about grace. 00:27:07.539 --> 00:27:10.960 That's not how God's grace works. 00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:13.500 When we need grace, 00:27:13.639 --> 00:27:15.879 God doesn't just give us a few drops. 00:27:16.700 --> 00:27:19.500 He opens the floodgates. 00:27:20.200 --> 00:27:21.879 He pours his grace 00:27:21.879 --> 00:27:24.339 like a great fountain into our lives. 00:27:26.180 --> 00:27:26.579 Right? 00:27:26.619 --> 00:27:28.119 So as we think about that image 00:27:28.119 --> 00:27:30.680 and just hold that image in your mind, 00:27:30.779 --> 00:27:33.139 I kind of want to bring all of this together 00:27:33.140 --> 00:27:35.860 and I want to ask this kind of, 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:36.259 you know, 00:27:37.120 --> 00:27:38.700 $64,000 question. 00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:40.700 How do we overcome 00:27:40.700 --> 00:27:42.480 that craving for Egypt 00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:44.580 and how do we stop painting pictures of Egypt 00:27:44.580 --> 00:27:45.860 in our minds? 00:27:45.940 --> 00:27:47.360 How do we become truly free? 00:27:47.640 --> 00:27:48.560 And I think that there are 00:27:48.560 --> 00:27:50.660 some very practical implications 00:27:50.660 --> 00:27:52.420 from Numbers 20 00:27:52.420 --> 00:27:54.820 that we can take away this morning. 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:56.980 The first is this. 00:27:58.520 --> 00:28:01.220 Focus on remembering times in the past 00:28:01.220 --> 00:28:02.800 when God has provided for you. 00:28:03.860 --> 00:28:05.560 Remember times in the past 00:28:05.560 --> 00:28:07.140 when God has provided for you. 00:28:07.520 --> 00:28:09.160 Israel failed to do this. 00:28:10.180 --> 00:28:10.360 You know, 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:12.580 God had just done this amazing thing 00:28:12.580 --> 00:28:13.700 with water and rocks 00:28:13.700 --> 00:28:17.120 and they completely forgot it. 00:28:17.700 --> 00:28:19.380 They're in the same exact predicament. 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:21.560 No memory of it. 00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:24.400 Right? 00:28:24.400 --> 00:28:25.560 So if you're struggling 00:28:25.560 --> 00:28:27.019 and it doesn't seem like God 00:28:27.019 --> 00:28:29.420 is answering your prayer in the present, 00:28:30.040 --> 00:28:34.100 spend time remembering times in your past 00:28:34.100 --> 00:28:36.080 when God has provided for you. 00:28:36.820 --> 00:28:38.860 And consider keeping a journal 00:28:38.860 --> 00:28:41.220 so that when God does provide, 00:28:41.360 --> 00:28:42.620 when good things happen 00:28:42.620 --> 00:28:43.180 and you say, 00:28:43.320 --> 00:28:43.440 wow, 00:28:43.540 --> 00:28:44.400 God really came through, 00:28:44.500 --> 00:28:45.200 you take a moment 00:28:45.200 --> 00:28:46.600 to write that down 00:28:46.600 --> 00:28:47.860 so that in the future 00:28:47.860 --> 00:28:48.580 when you're struggling 00:28:48.580 --> 00:28:49.660 and you're thirsty in the wilderness, 00:28:49.780 --> 00:28:50.720 you can open that journal 00:28:50.720 --> 00:28:51.579 and go back and remember, 00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:53.039 here's all of the times. 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:55.680 Here's the examples that I have 00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:57.220 that God is true to His Word. 00:28:57.960 --> 00:28:58.759 That's the first thing. 00:28:58.900 --> 00:28:59.900 Remember times in the past 00:28:59.900 --> 00:29:00.819 when God has provided for you. 00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:01.620 Number two, 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:03.980 reject the temptation to self-pity 00:29:03.980 --> 00:29:07.700 and instead pour that energy into prayer. 00:29:09.599 --> 00:29:11.220 Self-pity is going to wear you out. 00:29:12.339 --> 00:29:12.980 Self-pity, 00:29:13.180 --> 00:29:14.259 the kind of woe is me, 00:29:15.140 --> 00:29:16.299 focusing on the negative, 00:29:16.480 --> 00:29:17.360 feeling sorry for yourself, 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:18.819 blaming everybody for your problems. 00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:21.240 It feels good, 00:29:21.559 --> 00:29:23.460 but ultimately it's going to suck you dry 00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:25.440 and it wears the people around you out as well. 00:29:26.059 --> 00:29:27.620 Instead of helping you make progress, 00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:31.220 it actually leaves you more depressed and hopeless. 00:29:31.220 --> 00:29:35.100 So use that energy to pray instead. 00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:36.460 And if you want a good guide, 00:29:36.539 --> 00:29:37.900 how do I pray when I'm in the wilderness 00:29:37.900 --> 00:29:40.559 and I'm thirsty and I'm hungry 00:29:40.559 --> 00:29:41.779 and I feel like God is absent? 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:43.880 The Psalms are full of prayers. 00:29:44.740 --> 00:29:45.660 So look at the Psalms. 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:47.059 They'll teach you how to pray 00:29:47.059 --> 00:29:48.539 those kinds of prayers 00:29:48.539 --> 00:29:49.519 when you're desperate. 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:51.819 And then number three, 00:29:53.140 --> 00:29:55.759 recognize that even when we do fall into sin, 00:29:56.720 --> 00:29:58.980 God continues to pour grace into our lives. 00:29:58.980 --> 00:30:01.579 On the cross, 00:30:02.539 --> 00:30:04.860 Jesus Christ opened the floodgates. 00:30:06.700 --> 00:30:08.240 He opened the floodgates. 00:30:10.099 --> 00:30:11.240 And they're still open. 00:30:12.200 --> 00:30:14.019 And they're pouring grace into the world. 00:30:15.360 --> 00:30:17.839 And the invitation from Jesus is 00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:19.099 to come all who are thirsty 00:30:19.099 --> 00:30:21.099 and drink. 00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:23.039 Right? 00:30:23.120 --> 00:30:24.460 So every time we fail, 00:30:24.900 --> 00:30:26.240 every time we fall short, 00:30:26.380 --> 00:30:28.079 every time we fail to uphold God's word, 00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:30.079 every time we want to go back to Egypt, 00:30:31.119 --> 00:30:33.399 every time we find ourselves on the road headed back, 00:30:34.419 --> 00:30:37.240 we have only to come to the cross in repentance 00:30:37.240 --> 00:30:38.679 and to drink our fill. 00:30:39.019 --> 00:30:40.199 And what happens is 00:30:40.199 --> 00:30:42.480 that slave heart that we have 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:44.720 will taste that water 00:30:44.720 --> 00:30:46.419 and it will taste that water 00:30:46.419 --> 00:30:47.919 and it will taste that water. 00:30:48.279 --> 00:30:49.220 And over time, 00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:51.099 your heart will change. 00:30:51.139 --> 00:30:53.339 And it will learn how to be free. 00:30:53.460 --> 00:30:56.059 It will learn how to trust the word of God. 00:30:56.059 --> 00:30:58.960 It will learn how to follow Jesus in faith and repentance. 00:30:59.119 --> 00:31:02.899 It will learn how to move toward the true promised land 00:31:02.899 --> 00:31:04.279 of the new creation. 00:31:05.220 --> 00:31:07.460 It will learn that the promise of happiness in Egypt 00:31:07.460 --> 00:31:08.559 is an empty promise. 00:31:09.700 --> 00:31:12.659 And it will learn that our thirst can only be satisfied 00:31:12.659 --> 00:31:14.159 by the living water 00:31:14.159 --> 00:31:17.039 that Jesus offers the world. 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:17.619 Let's pray. 00:31:17.619 --> 00:31:21.439 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:31:21.939 --> 00:31:23.479 We thank you for your grace. 00:31:24.199 --> 00:31:25.939 And everybody in this room, 00:31:26.259 --> 00:31:27.739 Lord, in all different ways, 00:31:27.859 --> 00:31:29.019 we all need that floodgate. 00:31:29.819 --> 00:31:31.479 Lord, we all need it in our lives. 00:31:31.979 --> 00:31:34.319 And I pray that even as we're gathered here, 00:31:34.419 --> 00:31:35.919 we would feel its effects. 00:31:36.659 --> 00:31:39.779 Lord, as we come in a little while together in prayer, 00:31:39.899 --> 00:31:42.139 that we would feel your love for us. 00:31:42.140 --> 00:31:43.720 As we come around your table 00:31:43.720 --> 00:31:45.640 and as we eat the bread and drink the wine, 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:48.800 we would see these as the manna, Lord, 00:31:48.860 --> 00:31:49.380 in the wilderness. 00:31:49.600 --> 00:31:51.940 We would see the water that comes out of the rock, Lord, 00:31:51.980 --> 00:31:54.740 that we would drink abundantly from your grace, Lord. 00:31:54.780 --> 00:31:56.240 And we pray that in doing so, 00:31:56.500 --> 00:31:59.540 you would set us free, Lord. 00:32:00.080 --> 00:32:02.600 And we pray all of this that we would glorify you 00:32:02.600 --> 00:32:04.580 as people that you have freed. 00:32:04.980 --> 00:32:07.300 And we pray this for our good 00:32:07.300 --> 00:32:09.520 and that the city and the world might know 00:32:09.520 --> 00:32:11.120 where true freedom can be found. 00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:12.579 We pray this in your son's holy name. 00:32:12.739 --> 00:32:12.939 Amen.